Impact of various endodontic sealers on HPDLF Cell viability and apoptosis

This study aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity and apoptotic activity of different endodontic sealers: Sealapex, Apexit Plus, AH Plus, MTA-Fillapex and TotalFill BC Sealer in the culture of human periodontal ligament fibroblast (HPDLF) cells. The sealers were mixed, set for 24 h, and then covered with culture medium to obtain extracts, which were diluted to 1:0, 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, and 1:8. Simultaneously, HPDLF cells (1 × 10⁴) were seeded in 96-well plates and incubated for 24 h at 37 °C 5% CO₂ conditions. The cells were then exposed to 100 µL of diluted extract medium. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay to check cell viability, while apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL assay. Statistical analyses were performed using Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn post hoc tests with Mann Whitney U. In MTT and TUNEL assay cells were treated with sealers both 24 and 72 h. All materials showed higher toxicity at 72 h compared to 24 h. AH Plus exhibited the highest cytotoxicity, followed by MTA-Fillapex, Apexit Plus, Sealapex, while TotalFill BC Sealer had the lowest cytotoxicity. Consuquently, it was considered that TotalFill BC Sealer had the lowest cytotoxic potency when compared to other sealers, so it can be considered biocompatible.