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Synthesis and biological evaluation of hydroxyapatite Ferulic acid nanocomposite for osteomyelitis prevention and osteosarcoma inhibition

Jul 2026 · Journal of Materials Research · Vol 41, pp. 1998 - 2017 · 0 citations · 60 references

TL;DR

HAP–FA nanocomposite represents a promising candidate for osteomyelitis prevention and osteosarcoma suppression and exhibits significant anti-bacterial activity and ability to induce apoptosis.

Abstract

Osteomyelitis and osteosarcoma are challenging bone disorders requiring biomaterials to combat bacterial colonization and suppress tumor cell proliferation. Hydroxyapatite (HAP) is a benchmark bone material but lacks anti-bacterial activity and ability to induce apoptosis. Ferulic acid (FA) was incorporated into HAP via ultrasonic-assisted hydrothermal synthesis as a chelating agent and bioactive modifier. The synthesized HAP–FA nanocomposite was characterized using various physicochemical techniques. It exhibited significant anti-bacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, achieving a 1-log reduction in colony-forming units, along with moderate antioxidant potential. MTT assay results in MG-63 osteosarcoma cells, the nanocomposite induced complete cell death at 100 μg/mL with an IC50 of 47.82 μg/mL. In contrast, MC3T3 pre-osteoblast cells maintained 93% viability at 200 μg/mL, demonstrating good biocompatibility. Annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometric result confirmed early apoptosis (49.23%) with minimal necrosis (0.19%), indicating apoptotic pathway activation. Hence, HAP–FA nanocomposite represents a promising candidate for osteomyelitis prevention and osteosarcoma suppression.

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