Suppression of procollagen α1 type 1 by long-term low-dose exposure to 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate in human gingival fibroblasts in vitro

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of low doses and long-term exposure to 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) on the protein expression of human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). Human gingival fibroblasts were exposed to different concentrations of HEMA ranging from 0.5 mmol/L to 3 mmol/L for periods of time from 72 hours to 2 weeks. A significant decrease in the expression of procollagen-1 type I protein was observed 72 hours after treatment of cells with 3 mmol/L HEMA. Although low concentrations of the monomer after 2 weeks of exposure to HEMA did not appear to induce any marked changes in the morphology or viability of cells, the expression of procollagen-1 type I protein and its messenger RNA (mRNA) markedly decreased. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that cell viability and morphology assays could be deficient parameters in evaluating the biocompatibility of dental resin materials. © The Author(s) 2010.