## 4 Discussion  
The results from MTT assay showed differences in the effects of the decoctions on human gingival fibroblasts (Figure 2). The SC decoction was not cytotoxic to HGF-1 cells and caused a high increase in cell viability at all tested concentrations. On the other hand, the PH decoction showed a statistically significant increase in cell viability only at a concentration of 100 \(\upmu\)g/mL. Moreover, the highest tested concentrations caused a decrease in cell viability. The differences in activity of decoctions are due to the different chemical composition of them. The SC decoction is much richer in flavan-3-ols and procyanidins. Qualitative and quantitative analysis revealed a higher content of procyanidin monomers, such as catechin and epicatechin, as well as procyanidin dimers. Taking the above into account, we conducted studies examining the influence of epicatechin (monomer) and procyanidin B2 (dimer) present in the decoctions on the viability of gingival fibroblasts. We have observed that these compounds have a wide range of concentrations that stimulate cell viability (5-100 \(\upmu\)g/mL). They did not show cytotoxic effects at any of the tested \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c} \hline
**Sample Name** & **mg/g** & **LOQ** & **PH Decoction** & **SC Decoction** & **25\% EtOH** & **40\% EtOH** & **60\% Acetone** \\ \hline catechin gallate & mg/g & 0.001 & 0.351 & 0.212 & \textless{}LOQ & \textless{}LOQ & \textless{}LOQ \\   SD & & 0.050 & 0.044 & - & - & - \\ \hline catechin & mg/g & 0.02 & 1.467 & 4.449 & 2.339 & 2.595 & 3.030 \\   SD & & 0.255 & 0.329 & 0.295 & 0.640 & 0.149 \\ \hline epicatechin gallate & mg/g & 0.001 & 2.096 & 2.334 & 2.987 & 6.998 & 9.213 \\   SD & & 0.083 & 0.050 & 0.061 & 0.109 & 0.019 \\ \hline epicatechin & mg/g & 0.001 & 1.268 & 11.355 & 17.103 & 20.098 & 24.611 \\   SD & & 0.040 & 0.309 & 0.250 & 0.383 & 0.145 \\ \hline epigallocatechin & mg/g & 0.001 & 0.011 & 0.004 & \textless{}LOQ & \textless{}LOQ & \textless{}LOQ \\   gallate & SD & & 0.002 & 0.000 & - & - & - \\ \hline epigallocatechin & mg/g & 0.001 & 0.004 & 0.008 & \textless{}LOQ & \textless{}LOQ & \textless{}LOQ \\   SD & & 0.001 & 0.001 & - & - & - \\ \hline gallocatechin & mg/g & 0.001 & 0.004 & 0.010 & \textless{}LOQ & \textless{}LOQ & \textless{}LOQ \\   SD & & 0.000 & 0.000 & - & - & - \\ \hline procyanidin A2 & mg/g & 0.001 & 0.004 & 0.024 & 0.100 & 0.097 & 0.131 \\   SD & & 0.002 & 0.009 & 0.006 & 0.008 & 0.035 \\ \hline procyanidin B1 & mg/g & 0.001 & 1.436 & 6.421 & 7.466 & 7.803 & 8.129 \\   SD & & 0.024 & 0.008 & 0.176 & 0.080 & 0.361 \\ \hline procyanidin B2+B4 & mg/g & 0.001 & 1.499 & 13.780 & 18.699 & 19.422 & 22.817 \\   SD & & 0.100 & 0.374 & 0.417 & 1.175 & 1.167 \\ \hline procyanidin B3 & mg/g & 0.001 & 0.615 & 2.315 & 1.497 & 1.765 & 2.438 \\   SD & & 0.033 & 0.201 & 0.115 & 0.121 & 0.107 \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: Content of analyzed compounds in the studied decoctions and extracts. concentrations (Figure 2). The content of these compounds is much higher in the SC decoction than the PH decoction. Similarly, there are significantly more of the other procyanidins in SC decoction: procyanidin B1, B3, B4, and catechin. The presence of these compounds in appropriate concentrations may have a significant influence on the observed effect of the SC decoction on gingival fibroblasts. Data from other studies confirm the stimulating effect of flavan-3-ols such as catechin [25] and procyanidins [26] on the viability and proliferation of fibroblasts (human dermal fibroblasts) or keratinocytes as well as their migration and collagen production, which may significantly accelerate wound healing. Flavan-3-ols and procyanidins may stimulate fibroblast proliferation through the activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, which plays a crucial role in regulating cell growth and survival. Research indicates that certain flavonoids can modulate this pathway, leading to increased cellular proliferation [27].