The reaction of dental pulp to Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide and Enterococcus faecalis lipoteichoic acid

Oliveira, Laudimar Alves deBarbosa, Sérgio Valmor

This research evaluates the effects of the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from Escherichia coli and lipoteichoic acid (LTA) from Enterococcus faecalis on dental pulp. These molecules are components of the Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria cell wall, respectively. Ten dogs were used in the experiment. Inoculation in surgically opened pulp and coronal restoration with glass ionomer was the method chosen. The evaluation times were 1, 7, 15, 30 and 60 days. The results showed that the LPS and LTA, at 150 icg/ml, produced a negative interference in the pulp leading to destruction. LTA caused less damage than LPS.