title: Immune cell profile of dental pulp tissue treated with zoledronic acid.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize the pulp immune cell profile in the teeth of rats treated with zoledronic acid (ZA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Wistar rats (n = 6 per group) received four intravenous infusions of ZA at doses of 0.04, 0.20 or 1.00 mg kg-1ZA or saline (control). On the 70th experimental day, they were euthanized. The first right molar was examined microscopically and submitted to toluidine blue reaction and immunohistochemical for CD68, tumour necrosis Factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) and IL-18 binding protein (IL-18 bp). The presence of ectasic/dilated vessels and inflammatory cells was analysed, and mast cells and mononuclear CD68-positive cells were counted along with the intensity of immunostaining (0-3) for inflammatory markers in odontoblasts and nonodontoblasts pulp cells. The Kruskal-Wallis/Dunn's test (scores or quantitative data) and the chi-squared test (categorical data) were used (GraphPad Prism 5.0, P < 0.05).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no differences in the number of animals exhibiting dilated/ectasic blood vessels (P = 0.242) and inflammatory cells (P = 0.489) or in the number of mast cells (P = 1.000). However, there was an increase in mononuclear CD68-positive cells (P = 0.026), immunostaining of TNF-α (P = 0.020), IL-1β (P = 0.027) and iNOS (P = 0.001) in odontoblasts, and IL-1β (P = 0.013) in nonodontoblast pulp cells dose-dependently. NFkB (nucleus and cytoplasm) and IL-18 bp did not differ between groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ZA modified the immune cell profile in the dental pulp, increasing the number of macrophages and expression of pro-inflammatory markers independent of NFkB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Clinic, Division of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Dentistry and Nursing, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil.
authors.forename: P G
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1513-9027
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: de Barros Silva
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Clinic, Division of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Dentistry and Nursing, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil.
authors.forename: M E Q L
authors.initials: MEQL
authors.lastname: Verde
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil.
authors.forename: L A C
authors.initials: LAC
authors.lastname: Brizeno
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil.
authors.forename: D V T
authors.initials: DVT
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil.
authors.forename: R C P
authors.initials: RCP
authors.lastname: Lima Júnior
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Clinic, Division of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Dentistry and Nursing, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil.
authors.forename: F B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Clinic, Division of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Dentistry and Nursing, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil.
authors.forename: M R L
authors.initials: MRL
authors.lastname: Mota
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Clinic, Division of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Dentistry and Nursing, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil.
authors.forename: A P N N
authors.initials: APNN
authors.lastname: Alves
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D004164:Diphosphonates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D000077211:Zoledronic Acid
chemical_list: D004164:Diphosphonates; D007093:Imidazoles; D000077211:Zoledronic Acid
keywords: acute-phase reaction; dental pulp; inflammation; zoledronic acid