Histomorphometric analysis of pulp submitted to the action of bromelain associated with irrigation solutions

Aim: The objective of this study was to evaluate the tissue disgregation capacity of pulp in different solutions associated or not with bromelain. Methodology: Fifty bovine mandibular incisors were used, divided into five groups: C: Control, H: sodium hypochlorite 2.5%, B: bromelain, BL: bromelain + L-cysteine, BH: bromelain + sodium hypochlorite 2.5%. The pulp fragments were stored at -20 °C, washed with saline solution and moved to 25°C in eppendorf tubes with 1 ml of each substance. For the histomorphometric evaluation, the pulp fragments were prepared as histological routine, observed with optical microscopy and evaluated using ImageJ 1.49 software. Results: The histomorphometric results showed that, in C: there was no alteration per tissue; H: there was a peripheral and central tissue disintegration; B: there was a protein and cellular degradation pattern, from the peripheral to the central area; BL: there was a central degradation. In BH, showed an effect enhanced by bromelain, when related to sodium hypochlorite, showing greater tissue degradation. Conclusions: The association of bromelain with sodium hypochlorite potentiated the disintegration action of the pulp, opening possibilities for several clinical applications.