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Synergistic effect of low-dose gamma radiation and/or clove oil loaded on silica nanoparticles on regeneration of human gingival fibroblast cell line: an in vitro study

Abdeen AM, Gharib M, Abdelrahman IY

Odontology, 2026

Abstract

In light of the growing use of natural products in medicinal therapy, this study evaluated the proliferative effects of clove oil (CO) in two forms-native and loaded onto silica nanoparticles (CO@SNPs)-on Human Gingival Fibroblasts (HGFs), both singly and in combination with low-dose gamma irradiation (0.25 Gy). Silica nanoparticles were chemically synthesized and loaded with clove oil, with thorough characterization conducted using dynamic light scattering (DLS) for particle size, zeta-potential measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The EC50 values of CO and CO@SNPs were determined to be 1.88 µmol/mL and 0.172 µmol/mL, respectively, demonstrating a superior proliferative efficacy of the CO@SNPs nanoformulation. The biological effects were assessed using the MTT assay for cell viability, Trypan blue exclusion for cell count, qPCR for gene expression of c-Myc, MAPK, and NF-κB, and antioxidant capacity assays (MDA and catalase activity). Moreover, the in vitro wound-healing scratch assay showed enhanced fibroblast migration and proliferation, with relative wound density reaching 48% and 62% for CO@SNPs alone and combined with low-dose gamma irradiation, respectively. Further analysis through immunofluorescence staining of TGF-β and hematoxylin staining confirmed cell proliferation. Our results showed that loading CO on silica nanoparticles (CO@SNPs) were significantly more efficient than native clove oil in…

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