Journal of Dental Research, Vol 64, 1225-1228, Copyright © 1985 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
The effect of alternatives to formocresol on antigenicity of proteins
D. M. Ranly, D. Horn and T. Zislis
As part of an overall evaluation of possible substitutes for the pulpotomy
agent formocresol, this study was initiated to compare the antigenicity of
the reaction products of protein with formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, or
dimethylsuberimidate (DMS). Rabbits were injected with rabbit serum albumin
(RSA) which had been treated with one of the following solutions:
phosphate-buffered saline, 2% glutaraldehyde, 4% formaldehyde, or 2% DMS.
The antisera from the rabbits were analyzed for elicited antibodies by the
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and in a horseradish peroxidase
(HRP) assay using a spot technique on nitrocellulose paper. These assays
demonstrated that DMS-treated RSA was the most antigenic of the reaction
products tested. The least provocative was the glutaraldehyde-treated RSA;
the reaction product of formaldehyde was intermediate. Our findings suggest
that if non-immunogenicity of a pulpotomy agent is a desirable property,
then DMS does not meet the criteria of an alternative pulp fixative. In
contrast, the relatively low antigenicity of glutaraldehyde reinforces
other favorable findings which support its use clinically.
