A novel bio‐active adhesive monomer induces odontoblast differentiation: a comparative study

Aim To evaluate the in vitro effect of the novel adhesive monomer CMET, a calcium salt of 4‐methacryloxyethyl trimellitate (4‐MET), on the proliferation, mineralization and differentiation of odontoblast‐like cells, comparing with 4‐MET, calcium hydroxide (CH) and mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). Methodology Rat odontoblast‐like MDPC‐23 cells were cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM) supplemented with 5% foetal bovine serum. The powder of four tested materials (CMET, 4‐MET, CH and MTA) was first dissolved in distilled water (dH2O) and then was diluted by DMEM to yield final concentrations. Solvent (dH2O) was used as a control. Cell viability was assessed using CCK‐8 assay. Real‐time RT‐PCR was used to quantify the mRNA expression of odontogenic markers, cytokines and integrins. Mineralization inducing capacity was evaluated by alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) activity and alizarin red S staining. Statistical analyses were performed using one‐way anova and post hoc Tukey’s HSD test, with the significance level at 1%. Results Cell viability was significantly greater in the CMET‐ (83 to 828 mmol L−1), CH‐ and MTA‐treated (low concentrations) groups than that in the control group (P