International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume III, Issue VI, June 2016 | ISSN 2321–2705 www.rsisinternational.org Page 50 Cytotoxic Analysis of Herbal Root Canal Irrigants at Cellular Level Shreeshail Indi, Sangeeta Kulkarni Department of Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics, Al Badar Dental College, Gulbarga Abstract:- Aim: To evaluate and compare the cytotoxic effects of commercially available root canal irrigant sodium hypochlorite and herbal extracts Turmeric & Neem. Methodology: Sixty samples with 2ml of RBC suspension was randomly assigned to four groups. 3%Sodium hypochlorite, 0.25% Hydro-Alcoholic solution of Turmeric and 7.5% Hydro- Alcoholic solution of Neem and they were tested on RBC suspension. Normal saline was selected as control. Peripheral smear were prepaired to assess the morphological abnormalities of viable cells. After centrifugation of each test tube, the supernated volume was estimated for haemoglobin concentration representing cytotoxicity. Results: Cytotoxicity varies in the following order: 3% Sodium hypochlorite > 0.25% Hydro-Alcoholic solution of Turmeric > 7.5% Hydro-Alcoholic solution of Neem. Results showed that statistically significant difference exists between cytotoxicity of tested irrigating solutions. Conclusion: Considering the undesirable effects of the conventional root canal irrigants, herbal extracts could be an alternative root canal irrigant with least toxicity. Keywords: Sodium hypochlorite; turmeric; neem; cytotoxicity; red blood cells. I. INTRODUCTION emoval of vital and necrotic remnants of pulp tissues, microorganisms, and microbial toxins from the root canal system is essential for endodontic success. Chemomechanical debridement remains mainstay in the success of root canal treatment [1] . Several studies using advanced techniques such as microcomputed tomography (CT) scanning have demonstrated that proportionally large areas of the main root- canal will remain untouched by the instruments, emphasizing the importance of chemical means of cleaning and disinfecting all areas of the root canal [2] . Irrigation has a central role in endodontic treatment. Several irrigating solutions also have cytotoxic potential, and they may cause severe pain if they gain access into the periapical tissues [3] . Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is the most popular irrigating solution used in concentrations between 0.5% and 6%. It is a potent antimicrobial agent, killing most bacteria instantly on direct contact. The main drawbacks of NaOCl is its cytotoxicity and caustic nature [4] . Because of the increased antibiotic resistance, toxic and harmful side effects of few common antibacterial irrigants, there is a need for alternative agents which are affordable, non-toxic and effective [5] . Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) and Neem (Azadirachta indica A) are natural medicament with a wide spectrum of biologic actions which include anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticoagulant, anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, antidiabetic, antibacterial and antifungal activities [6,7] . An endodontic irrigant should be non-toxic when it comes in contact with vital tissues and non-caustic to the periodontal tissues. A potential complication of irrigation is the forced extrusion of the irrigant and debris through the apex. Tissue cytotoxicity is therefore a major concern when choosing an endodontic irrigant for root canal treatment. Various methods have been employed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of endodontic irrigants. Pashley et al. evaluated the cytotoxicity on red blood corpuscles, Faria et al. and Zhang et al. evaluated the cytotoxicity on L929 fibroblasts and Barnhart et al. on gingival fibroblasts [8-11] . Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the cytotoxicity of various irrigants, 3% sodium hypochlorite, 0.25% Hydro-Alcoholic solution of Turmeric and 7.5% Hydro-Alcoholic solution of Neem by checking for hemolysis of human red blood corpuscles. II. MATERIALS AND METHODS Red blood cells are very sensitive to osmotic challenge by hypo- or hypertonic solutions which cause hemolysis and they are readily available for analysis of intracellular content, and hemoglobin [12] . In this study 2 parameters were analysed. 1) Haematocrit value (Hb%) 2) Cellular changes in RBCs III. PREPARATION OF RBC SUSPENSION Red blood cells were selected to evaluate the cytotoxicity. Fresh blood from human volunteers was drawn into EDTA R