The effect of dental alloys on mouse lymphocyte subpopulations

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of nickel-containing alloys on lymphocyte subsets in an experimental setting. Plates of alloys containing nickel (Ceramalloy, Talladium, Cerillium, Rexillium) or gold (Orion) were implanted subcutaneously into mice. The levels of CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocyte subpopulations and of Smig+ B lymphocytes were determined at various intervals following implantation, using monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry. No changes were detected in the proportion of the lymphocyte subsets tested. One month after implantation, the mean fluorescence intensity of CD4, CD8 or Smig, in the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of the nickel alloy-implanted animals, was significantly higher than that prior to this procedure. Only a mild increase in CD4 and CD8 was noted after implantation of the gold alloy. The observed effects are most likely attributable to the surgical trauma, and do not indicate that nickel-containing dental alloys influence T cell subsets in this murine model.