Aim:

Plasma cells (PL) release immunoglobulin in periapical lesions. The purpose of this assay was to identify and count the number of plasmocytes observed in periapical lesions in rats.

Materials and methods:

By exposing the pulp of the lower left first molars to the oral environment, periapical granulomas were induced in rats previously anesthetized. The pulp of right mandibular first molars was not exposed and these teeth were used as negative controls. The animals were euthanized at 10, 30 and 60 days after pup exposure. The mandibles were removed and specimens of the molar teeth along with the surrounding tissues were prepared for histology. Semi serial sections of the left first molar were stained with methyl green pyronine (MGP). Every three sections, the following three sections were stained with hematoxilyn and eosin (H-E). Negative control samples were stained with H-E.

Results:

All the H-E stained experimental samples revealed the presence of periapical granulomas. After pulp exposure, the number of PL increased from day 10 to 30 and 60. In the 60-day samples the number of PL was slightly less than that of the 30-day samples, with no statistically significant difference. The H-E stained control samples showed normal periapical tissues in all observation periods.

Conclusions:

The results of this study revealed that the number of VMP positive PL, increased progressively with time but it was stabilized at the end of the experiment. In addition, the results suggest that the use of VMP stain is a suitable procedure for the identification and counting of PL in experimentally induced periapical granulomas in rats.