Viability of human periodontal ligament fibroblasts in different storage media at four different time intervals

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare and evaluate the viability of human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (PDLF) in different storage media solutions at four different time intervals. Methods: Various testing solutions (Hank’s balanced salt solution (HBSS), milk, tender coconut, oral rehydration solution (ORS), egg white, and tap water) were transferred to a 96-well culture plate consisting of human PDLF cell line (L929). The setup was incubated at 37°C in 5% CO 2 and cell viability analysis was done with the help of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The viability of the cells was estimated at the end of four varied time intervals-30 min, 1 h, 3 h, and 6 h and were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (post hoc Tukey test). Results: The viability of human PDLF was significantly higher with tender coconut when compared to other storage mediums at each time interval (30 min – 98.3%; 1 h – 97.5%; 3 h – 65.8% and 3 h – 26.4%) ( P = 0.001). This was followed by egg white (30 min – 96.7% and 1 h – 76.8%) and HBSS (3 h – 52.5% and 6 h – 18.4%). The least viability of PDLF was observed for tap water. Post hoc Tukey test revealed a statistically significant difference between groups for each time interval. Conclusion: Tender coconut is a good storage medium to maintain the viability of human PDLF at different time intervals. This was followed by HBSS and egg white.