Pluronic polyol effects on human gingival fibroblast attachment and growth

Background: Enhanced speed of human gingival fibroblast (HGF) spreading and attachment, as affected by ionic bonding interactions, may facilitate cell orientation and subsequent collagen synthesis to promote early wound healing. The purpose of this study was to determine the in vitro effects of pluronic polyols, a family of widely used surfactants currently used as drug carriers for antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-neoplastic agents, on the attachment and growth of human gingival fibroblasts (HGF) to dentin and plastic surfaces using established tissue culture techniques. Methods: Plastic culture wells containing Eagle's minimal essential media (EMEM) with 10% fetal calf serum and Pluronic F-68 or F-127 in concentrations from 1.2 x 10^-2 to 1.2 x 10^-10 M were incubated with HGF and run in replicates of ten. Attached cells were quantified by measuring the optical density of methylene blue-stained cells. Additional experiments were conducted using human dentin sections as a substrate and Pluronic F-68 or F-127 at a concentration of 1.2 x 10^-8 M. In these experiments, HGF were stained with acridine orange and quantified per unit area of dentin by fluorescence microscopy. Results: Attachment and growth of HGF to both plastic and dentin were significantly increased over serum controls by very low concentrations of Pluronic F-68 and F-127 by 30 minutes, with attachment reaching a plateau at 2 hours. Conclusions: Pluronic polyols, a family of widely used surfactants, in very low dosages may be beneficial in early post-surgical wound healing by facilitating early attachment and enhancing the growth rate of human gingival fibroblasts.