Cyclosporin A-induced alterations of dentinogenesis in rat molars

Cyclosporin A (CsA), a widely used immunosuppressive drug, induces gingival overgrowth and modifications of bone remodelling. The scope of this study was to investigate the possible effect of CsA on dentin. Thirty mg/kg/day of CsA were administered orally to male Sprague-Dawley rats for nineteen weeks. The same number of control rats received oil-based vehicle solution. Rats were anesthetized, and tissues were fixed by an intracardiac perfusion of fixative solution. Mandibles were dissected, demineralized, and processed for Epon embedding. Semi-thin sections of the first molars revealed alterations at the secondary dentin-pulp interface in four out of six experimental animals. The changes consisted of the formation of: 1) osteodentin spurs, in which the volume and interface with the secondary dentin varied from about 25,000 to 75,000 microns 3 and from 1400 to 3530 microns 2, respectively; 2) abnormally shaped and irregularly spaced incremental lines; and 3) numerous globular formations embedded in dentin or free in the pulp. These results indicate that CsA induces abnormal mineralized matrix formation in dentin and in the peripheral part of the pulp in rat molars.