Cytocompatibility of a tissue conditioner containing vinyl ester as a plasticizer

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Toxicology
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Phthalates and ethanol are common plasticizers in tissue conditioners but raise safety concerns.
• Developing safe, effective alternatives is crucial for dental and medical applications.
• Vinyl esters are explored as potential phthalate- and ethanol-free plasticizers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the cytocompatibility and estrogenic activity of eight vinyl esters as potential plasticizers.
• To assess the cytotoxicity of prototype and commercial tissue conditioners on human fibroblasts.
• To investigate the impact of these materials on cytokine expression in 3D cultures.

Main Methods:

• E-screen assay for estrogenic activity.
• Mitochondrial dye conversion assay for cytotoxicity in human fibroblasts and keratinocytes.
• Cytotoxicity assessment of materials using human fibroblasts in collagen gels.
• Cytokine expression analysis via RT-PCR and ELISA in 3D cultures.

Main Results:

• No estrogenic activity was detected in any of the tested vinyl esters.
• Vinyl octanoate and vinyl pivalate exhibited the lowest cytotoxicity among the vinyl esters.
• A prototype tissue conditioner with vinyl octanoate showed similar or reduced cytotoxicity and cytokine induction compared to conventional conditioners.

Conclusions:

• Vinyl esters, specifically vinyl octanoate and vinyl pivalate, are promising candidates for phthalate- and ethanol-free tissue conditioners.
• The developed prototype material demonstrates favorable biocompatibility and inflammatory response profiles.
• These findings support the use of vinyl octanoate in developing safer tissue conditioner formulations.