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.