Maria Beatriz Ferreira

Maria Beatriz Ferreira


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

5Years (2022-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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24 January 2022 in Materials
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
MFMaria Beatriz Ferreira
Maria Beatriz Ferreira
NPNelson Pereira
Nelson Pereira
CMCarlos Miguel Marto
Carlos Miguel Marto
Miguel Ângelo CardosoMiguel Ângelo Cardoso
Miguel Ângelo Cardoso
IAInês Amaro
Inês Amaro
Mafalda LaranjoMafalda Laranjo
Mafalda Laranjo
Direct pulp capping consists of a procedure in which a material is directly placed over the exposed pulp to maintain dental vitality. Although still widely used in clinical practice, previous in vitro studies found that the biomaterial Life® presented high cytotoxicity, leading to cell death. This study aimed to identify the Life® constituents responsible for its cytotoxic effects on odontoblast-like cells (MDPC-23). Aqueous medium conditioned with Life® was subjected to liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. After solvent removal, cells were treated with residues isolated from the organic and aqueous fractions. MTT and Trypan blue assays were carried out to evaluate the metabolic activity and cell death. The organic phase residue promoted a significant decrease in metabolic activity and increased cell death. On the contrary, no cytotoxic effects were observed with the mixture from the aqueous fraction. Spectroscopic and spectrometric methods allowed the identification of the toxic compounds. A mixture of the regioisomers ortho, para, and meta of N-ethyl-toluenesulfonamide was identified as the agent responsible for the toxicity of biomaterial Life® in MDPC-23 cells. These findings contribute to improving biomaterial research and development.