Cytotoxicity of copper and silver ions on specific osteoblastic properties

CORTIZO MC,; FERNÁNDEZ LORENZO DE MELE, M; CORTIZO, AM

Revista CENIC

CENIC Ciencias Biológicas

Lugar: La Habana; Año: 2006 p. 156 - 158

0258 6002

ABSTRACT. Copper and silver are widely used as components of dental materialseven though their corrosion resistance is low. The released ions can produce severalundesirable effects such as toxic, allergic, inflammatory and mutagenic reactions.The aim of the present study was to evaluate the biocompatibility of the componentsof dental metal materials on the growth and differentiation of UMR106 osteoblastcells in response to salt solutions of the metallic ions (Cu2+ and Ag+) and to ionsreleased from pure metals. The control UM106 cells exhibited normal polygonalmorphology with cytoplasmic processes connecting neighbouring cells. After 24 hin culture, cells exposed to Cu showed important morphological changes. After alonger incubation (48 h) the copper ions induced almost a complete cellular deathof the culture. Exposition to silver for 48 h caused a lower reduction in the healthycells in the culture. Osteoblasts were relatively small with lost of processes, althoughsome mitotic figures and apoptotic bodies were still observed. The effect of Cu onthe inhibition of cell growth was linearly time-dependent. Both cell surviving andthe MI, significantly correlated with the Cu levels in the media, although thiscorrelation was stronger when the number of surviving cells was analysed, incomparison with the mitotic index. It could be concluded that copper and silverions are cytotoxic. In the case of copper ions a second order correlation betweencytotoxicity and the concentration of the released metal ions was found.