{"doi":"10.1007/s00784-025-06567-z","title":"Neutrophil activity compromises root caries remineralization and alters caries-affected-like dentin","abstract":"OBJECTIVES: Root caries (RC) progression involves the dentin extracellular matrix (dECM) degradation by proteolytic enzymes. As neutrophil-derived enzymes have been systemically associated with ECM degradation, we hypothesized that neutrophil activity would: (i) inhibit RC remineralization; and (ii) alter the caries-affected-like dentin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vitro RC were created on human dentin specimens. Half each lesion was covered to keep the initial lesion (IL). The other half (final lesion; FL) was exposed to one of the following groups (n = 10): Control (buffer solution; C); Neutrophils (human neutrophils; N); Collagenase (positive control; Col), and then remineralized by pH-cycling and sodium fluoride. RC remineralization was calculated using rhodamine infiltration and cross-sectional microhardness (CSMH). Collagen of the fully demineralized dentin was stained with picrosirius red. The physical properties of the caries-affected-like dentin were investigated by CSMH and loss of mineral density (MD). RESULTS: Two-way ANOVA and Tukey showed only remineralization in the C group (p < 0.001). N did not show any remineralization (p = 0.588) between IL and FL. The N and Col groups exhibited changes in collagen integrity and organization. The N and Col groups' caries-affected-like dentin showed significantly lower CSMH (p < 0.001) than the C group, and significant losses (IL-FL) of MD (p = 0.012 and p = 0.042, respectively). In contrast, no MD loss was observed in the C group (p = 0.411). CONCLUSIONS: Neutrophil-derived enzymes compromise RC remineralization and detrimentally affect the physical properties of the caries-affected-like dentin. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Identifying proteolytic sources involved with dECM degradation during RC progression will pave new research directions.","journal":"Clinical Oral Investigations","year":2025,"id":577709,"datarank":0.0,"base_score":0.0,"endowment":0.0,"self_citation_contribution":0.0,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.0,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":0,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":0.8702,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2025-01-01","fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":390632,"name":"Riya Patel","orcid":"0000-0001-6572-5924","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1487508,"name":"Asma Wazir","orcid":null,"position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1487205,"name":"Camila Andrade Zamperini","orcid":"0000-0002-3028-7538","position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1487507,"name":"Rinku K Trivedi","orcid":null,"position":0,"is_corresponding":true}],"reference_count":48,"raw_metadata":null,"created_at":"2026-07-19T02:58:16.148027Z","pmid":"41081977","pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}