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ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Characterization of bovine hydroxyapatite–gelatin–gentamicin injectable bone substitutes as bone filler candidates for osteomyelitis

Samirah Samirah1* ,  Annisa R. Azzahrani1 ,  Dinda M. N. Ratri1 ,  Aniek S. Budiatin1 ,  Ani N. Fauziyah2 ,  Shabrina I. Nabil1 ,  Fauziyyah S. Afrisa1
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1 Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia
2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia
BMT, 192 https://doi.org/10.12336/bmt.25.00192
Submitted: 22 September 2025 | Revised: 27 January 2026 | Accepted: 16 March 2026 | Published: 22 May 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). Licensee Biomaterials Translational, USA. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en)
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Abstract

Osteomyelitis imposes a considerable burden on healthcare systems worldwide, and the development of effective injectable bone substitutes (IBSs) is vital to improving therapeutic outcomes. This study investigates the effect of varying bovine hydroxyapatite–gelatin (BHA–GEL) ratios on the physical characteristics, degradation rate, and gentamicin (GEN) release profile of IBS composites. Four formulations with BHA–GEL ratios of 75:25 (F1), 70:30 (F2), 65:35 (F3), and 60:40 (F4) were prepared and evaluated for pore diameter, functional group composition, setting time, injectability, degradation rate, and GEN release. Statistical analyses revealed that pore diameter differed significantly between F1 and F4 (p=0.013). All formulations exhibited setting times within the optimal range for IBS, with F1 demonstrating a significantly shorter setting time than F2, F3, and F4 (p<0.05). Injectability exceeded 96% across all groups, with no significant differences. The degradation rate was significantly different between F1 and F4 (p=0.033). GEN release showed no statistical difference among formulations but followed a trend of higher release with increasing gelatin content. These findings demonstrate that the BHA–GEL ratio significantly influences setting time, pore diameter (between F1 and F4), and degradation rate (between F1 and F4), while having minimal effects on injectability and GEN release, suggesting potential as bone filler candidates.

Keywords
Bovine hydroxyapatite
Gelatin
Gentamicin
Healthcare
Injectable bone substitute
Funding
This research was supported by the Airlangga Research Fund 2024 from the Grant Penelitian Dasar Unggulan (PDU) under the scheme number 958/UN3. FF/PT.01.03/2024.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
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