𝐼𝑛 𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑜 cytotoxicity evaluation of bovine hydroxyapatite–propolis composite on human mesenchymal stem cells

The development of bioactive bone grafts is crucial for enhancing bone regeneration. one common graft material used to improve bone healing is bovine hydroxyapatite (bha) with its osteoconductive property. propolis holds promising potential to improve bone healing and can be combined with other biomaterials. this study aimed to evaluate the in vitro cytotoxicity of a novel composite material made from bha and propolis on human mesenchymal stem cells (mscs). there were four groups in this study: bha only and integrated bha with three different concentrations of propolis solution: 25%, 50%, and 75%. the material characteristics were analysed using scanning electron microscopy (sem), fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ftir), x-ray diffraction (xrd), gas chromatography mass spectrometry (gc-ms), and phytochemical screening. the cytotoxic evaluation of the scaffold was assessed using the mtt assay, with each group having eight replications totaling in 32 samples. sem evaluation resulted larger porosity in bha-propolis 50% group. ftir showed high concentration of functional groups such as hydroxyl, aromatic, and polyphenolic bonds. xrd demonstrated a preserved ha crystalline structure. gc-ms and phytochemical screening revealed mainly flavonoid and phenolic compounds. mtt assay indicated all propolis added scaffolds had statistically higher percentage of living cells, compared to the bha only control group. this study concluded that combined bha-propolis scaffold did not pose a cytotoxic effect on human mscs, while significantly increasing the proliferation of the mscs.