Cytocompatibility of mesoporous bioactive glasses doped with cerium and loaded with polyphenols

Therapeutic inorganic ions (TIIs) and biomolecules like polyphenols (POLY) can both enhance the properties of mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs), which are promising biomaterials for use in hard and soft tissues. In our previous studies, we demonstrated the excellent antioxidant properties of cerium-doped MBGs containing polyphenols (Ce-MBGs-POLY) and their persistent apatite-forming ability. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the cytocompatibility of MBGs containing POLY and/or cerium. The cytocompatibility is evaluated using MLO-Y4 cells, Neutral Red (NR) and the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays, and morphological analyses. The NR and MTT results show that MBG-POLY and Ce-MBG-POLY improve cell viability and proliferation compared with MBG, indicating the beneficial effects of both cerium and polyphenols on cell health. Morphological evaluations using optical and electron microscopes confirmed good cell adhesion and proliferation on the surface of all studied MBGs. MBG-POLY and Ce-MBG-POLY possess not only antioxidant properties and apatite-forming ability but are also cytocompatible; for this reason, these MBGs may be proposed as innovative materials to promote tissue regeneration and repair.