Cytotoxicity of Novel Polymeric Gel Matrix Triple Antibiotic Paste—an In Vitro Study

The study evaluated the in vitro cytotoxicity profile of a novel polymeric gel matrix triple antibiotic paste. The novel polymeric gel matrix triple antibiotic paste (TAOP) was formulated as thermo-modulated in situ hydrogel, by blending chitosan-carbopol and poloxamer gels with clindamycin (5%), metronidazole (5%), and doxycycline (1%). All the test materials (TAOP—test material 1), zinc oxide eugenol (ZOE—test material 2), and calcium hydroxide iodoform paste (Metapex—positive control) were divided into multiple concentrations from 400 to 12.5 μg/mL serially. The precultured human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) were contacted directly to all the test materials, against untreated cells (negative control). MTT assay was evaluated for cell survival after 48 h, followed by half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) estimation. Data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA with Tuckey’s post hoc HSD test and Bonferroni’s correction followed by t test for pairwise comparison of groups at all concentrations (p