In Vitro Evaluation of Doxycycline Incorporated in Carbonate Apatite – Gelatin Bone Graft Material

Introduction: Bacterial adhesion is a factor responsible for alloplastic bone graft failure. The non-vascularized structure of the alloplastic carbonate apatite and exposure to the oral cavity could lead to bacterial plaque attachment, resulting in failure of the regeneration process. Incorporation of antibiotic into the bone graft material is expected to increase the effectiveness of eradication of bacteria. Objective: to evaluate the incorporation of doxycycline in carbonate apatite – gelatin bone graft material. Methods: Specimens of 10 mg alloplastic carbonate apatite bone grafts were immersed in 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15 doxycycline solutions (1 ml) for 24 hours. Doxycycline loading percentage, its release percentage profile, antibacterial tests on Porphyromonas gingivalis, and fibroblast viability tests using MTT assay were performed. Results: The highest loading percentage was obtained from lowest concentration (0.05) of doxycycline solution. The release profiles of doxycycline among the three groups were not significantly different. The cytotoxic effect of doxycycline was not observed up to 0.15. Antibacterial effect on P. gingivalis was found to be in a concentration-dependent manner. Conclusion: These findings demonstrated that bone graft material based on 0.15 doxycycline-incorporated apatite carbonate is not toxic and has a bacterial inhibitory effect. © 2023 UPM Press. All rights reserved.