Abstract

ONTIVEROS GRANADOS, Ana Guadalupe; GUTIERREZ VENEGAS, Gloria  and  LAZO GARCIA, María del Rosario. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA) effects on cyclooxygenase-2 in human dental pulp cells. Rev. Odont. Mex [online]. 2008, vol.12, n.4, pp.177-183. ISSN 1870-199X.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fo.1870199xp.2008.12.4.15625.

Bacterial toxins such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA) can be found in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, respectively. This toxins cause an inflammatory process denominated pulpitis. In the present study, the effect of LTA and LPS on the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in human dental pulp cells was investigated. For this study a hypothesis was made, that this molecules take part in the dental pulp inflammatory process through the cyclooxygenase-2 synthesis in human pulp cells. To evaluate this hypothesis the effect of LPS and LTA was studied in primary cultures of human pulp cells. Finally, the pathways and molecules involved in COX-2 expression were characterized. In human dental pulp cells treated with LTA or LPS, it was detected that these molecules promote COX-2 expression. On the other hand, it was founded that the expression of COX-2 in human pulp cells was blocked by treatments with SB203580, PD98059, and Estaurosporine. The results of the present study demonstrate that treatments with LTA and LPS promote COX-2 expression in events related with protein kinase p38, ERK and PKC. The findings of this investigation are important because COX-2 is related to the synthesis of PGE2, which leads to a chronic inflammatory process. Finally, the nature of a mediator implied in the pulpitis process was characterized.

Keywords : LTA; lypoteichoic acid; LPS; lipopolysaccharide; COX-2; cyclooxygenase-2; PGE2; prostaglandin E2; ERK; extracellular signal regulated protein kinases; PKC; protein kinases C; JNK; C-Jun NH₂-terminal kinase.

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