Study shows that cannabidiol may be a promising agent for promoting dental biomineralization

 In vitro tests indicate that cannabidiol can stimulate the biomineralization of teeth even under inflammatory conditions, thus promoting tissue repair.

The research was conducted with the support of FAPESP at the Ribeirão Preto School of Dentistry of the University of São Paulo (FORP-USP) in Brazil. The results were published in the Journal of Dentistry.  

In the experiment, cells from the dental pulp of mice were exposed to a cytokine called tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), which is involved in various inflammatory and autoimmune processes. They were then treated with different concentrations of cannabidiol for periods ranging from 24 hours to seven days.

“The ability of the cells to survive and function in this environment was evaluated, which allowed us to determine if the substance has any bioactive effect on them,” explains Francisco Wanderley Garcia de Paula-Silva, professor at the institution’s Department of Pediatrics, who coordinated the work. The study had the collaboration of researchers Elaine Del Bel and Glauce Crivelaro do Nascimento Marangoni, from the Molecular Neurophysiology Laboratory at FORP-USP.  

In addition, the researchers studied the formation of mineralization nodules using a dye called alizarin red. This process takes place thanks to the presence of mesenchymal stem cells in the dental pulp, which, when exposed to some kind of stress, such as an inflammatory process, migrate to the affected areas and differentiate into odontoblast-like structures, cells that form and maintain dentin, the innermost layer of teeth.

At the same time, macrophages, important cells of the immune system, were pre-stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide, a toxic component of the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria, before being exposed to the substance extracted from Cannabis sativa. This test was designed to evaluate the effect of cannabidiol in modulating the synthesis of inflammatory mediators by macrophages.

The results showed that treatment with cannabidiol was able to inhibit the synthesis of inflammatory mediators, suggesting an anti-inflammatory effect, especially after 24 hours. In addition, the substance stimulated the capacity for tooth biomineralization.

“These findings indicate that cannabidiol may be a promising bioactive substance for tissue repair in inflammatory contexts, which opens up new perspectives for its use in dental treatments, especially in regenerative dentistry, benefiting patients in different clinical situations,” says Paula-Silva.
    
According to the researcher, these findings show that cannabidiol deserves further investigation in order to establish its effective role in dental practice, as research is still in its early stages. Therefore, translating experimental results into clinical applications requires a long process of evaluation and validation.

To this end, it is essential to conduct clinical trials that assess efficacy and safety in humans, not only to confirm the observed effects, but also to understand how the substance behaves in different clinical situations, including dosage, route of administration, and potential interactions with other treatments.

In addition, the introduction of new treatments into clinical practice must meet regulatory requirements that include independent assessments, ethics committee reviews, and health authority approvals. “The growing interest in cannabinoid-based therapies, coupled with a deeper understanding of cannabidiol’s mechanisms of action, may facilitate future clinical trials, especially as more data become available,” says Paula-Silva.

About FAPESP

The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration.

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