Curcumin-loaded chitosan thermosensitive hydrogel with sustained release for periodontal applications: an in vitro evaluation.

Authors

Reema M Rao, Monali Nikalje, Shiprita Kumari, Rahul Tiwari, Kailash Chandra Dash, Saurabh Shekhar, Manish Sharma

Published in

Journal of applied oral science : revista FOB. Volume 34. Pages e20260308. Epub Aug 03, 2026.

Abstract

Thermosensitive hydrogels have emerged as promising localized drug delivery systems for periodontal therapy. Curcumin possesses anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties but is limited by its poor solubility and bioavailability. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a curcumin-loaded chitosan thermosensitive hydrogel for periodontal application.
This in vitro experimental study included five groups as positive controls, negative control, blank chitosan hydrogel, free curcumin, curcumin-loaded hydrogel, and chlorhexidine (0.12%). The hydrogel was formulated using chitosan and β-glycerophosphate and was characterized for thermosensitive gelation and injectability. Drug release was assessed using dialysis. Cytocompatibility was evaluated in human gingival fibroblasts (HGF-1) using the MTT assay at 24, 48, and 72 h. The anti-inflammatory activity was assessed by measuring the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in LPS-stimulated cells. Antibacterial activity (MIC/MBC) and antibiofilm efficacy were tested against Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. Data were analyzed using ANOVA with the appropriate post-hoc tests (p<0.05).
The curcumin-loaded hydrogel showed high cell viability (>90%) and significantly reduced TNF-α and IL-1β levels when compared with free curcumin. It demonstrated improved antibiofilm activity (∼74-79%) and lower MIC values than free curcumin, although slightly less effective than chlorhexidine. A sustained drug release profile (∼81.6% at 14 days) following Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetics was observed.
The curcumin-loaded chitosan thermosensitive hydrogel showed improved biological performance and sustained release when compared with free curcumin, suggesting its potential as a localized periodontal drug delivery system. Further in vivo studies are required to validate these findings.

PMID:
42561214
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 07 Aug 2026.

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