The effect of different concentrations for grapefruit seed extract on proliferation of periodontal ligament cells

Survival of periodontal ligament (PDL) cells after avulsion is an important factor in treatment prognosis. Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) can be a proper environment for preserving periodontal ligament cells. The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of different concentrations of GSE on the proliferation of fibroblast PDL cells.

In this study, the undifferentiated PDL fibroblasts were obtained from two human premolars teeth and cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM). The cultured cells were exposed to different concentrations of GSE. The positive and negative control groups were cultured in fetal bovine serum (FBS) 10% and in a medium without FBS 10%, respectively. The plates were incubated for 1, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hrs. The PDL cell viability was assessed by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. Statistical analysis of data was accomplished using repeated measure ANOVA with Post HOC Tukey, P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

We found out that among different concentrations of GSE, 1:128 had the most impact on undifferentiated PDL fibroblasts. Although, the cell vitality was higher in the twelfth hour, 1:128 GSE and in the forty-eighth hour, 1:1024 GSE than the positive control group but they were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Furthermore, all the samples were similar to the positive control group in three of the five timeperiods (P>0.05).

GSE was more effective in fewer concentration and longer periods and it had no toxic effect on PDL cells. Therefore, GSE can be considred as a promoting medium in PDL regeneration of avulsed permanent teeth in the future.