Turmeric-Loaded Type A Gelatin Hydrogels: In Vitro Assessment for Oral Wound Management Applications

Oral surgical wounds may benefit from local biomaterials capable of delivering bioactive compounds while remaining compatible with gingival cells. This study evaluated type A gelatin hydrogels containing turmeric powder (1.5, 3.1, or 12.5 mg per preparation) and a separate series prepared with a 25 mg/mL turmeric stock in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The hydrogels were assessed for macroscopic integrity, supernatant absorbance, MTT responses in human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs), prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), and exploratory microbial response against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Powder-loaded matrices lost macroscopic integrity within approximately 45 min in PBS and 30 min in trypsin. Powder-loaded formulations generally produced MTT signals near control values, whereas several DMSO-stock formulations showed lower signals at later exposures. PGE₂ did not show consistent dose-dependent suppression after normalization of the corresponding MTT-derived relative metabolic signal. Agar diffusion showed an approximate 2.4 mm clearance beyond the specimen edge against S. aureus for the 1.5 mg formulation and none against C. albicans; the gelatin control also showed visible clearance, and higher turmeric loadings did not produce measurable zones. Colony recovery decreased across the DMSO-stock formulations, but most plate counts were below the conventional countable range and were therefore interpreted descriptively. Overall, the findings provide an early in vitro characterization of rapidly disintegrating gelatin-turmeric hydrogels and identify matrix stability and assay limitations as major constraints that require further validation.