Future Pharmacology (Apr 2025)

An In Vitro Diacetylcurcumin Study for Periodontitis: A New Approach to Controlling Subgingival Biofilms

  • Valdo Antonio Aires da Silva,
  • Bruno Bueno-Silva,
  • Luciene Cristina Figueiredo,
  • Tatiane Tiemi Macedo,
  • Lucas Daylor Aguiar da Silva,
  • Helio Chagas Chaves de Oliveira Junior,
  • Carlos Roberto Polaquini,
  • Luís Octávio Regasini,
  • Janaina de Cássia Orlandi Sardi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/futurepharmacol5020019
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 2
p. 19

Abstract

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Background: Periodontal disease (PD) is a chronic inflammatory condition associated with dysbiotic biofilm, leading to the destruction of bone and periodontal ligament. Scaling and root planing (SRP) is the gold-standard treatment for PD, but some patients may not respond adequately, necessitating adjunctive therapies. This study investigated the antimicrobial activity of diacetylcurcumin (DAC), a modified curcumin, against multispecies subgingival biofilm associated with periodontitis. Methods: The biofilm, containing 40 bacterial species, was cultured for seven days in the Calgary apparatus. Treatments with DAC (200 μg/mL), 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX), and a vehicle (control) were applied twice daily for 1 min, starting on the third day. On the seventh day, biofilms were analyzed for metabolic activity (MA) and bacterial counts via DNA-DNA hybridization. DAC toxicity was tested on Galleria mellonella larvae. Results: DAC reduced biofilm metabolic activity by 51%, while CHX achieved 88% reduction compared to the vehicle (p P. gingivalis, T. forsythia, P. intermedia, and A. actinomycetemcomitans (p Conclusions: These findings suggest that DAC effectively reduces biofilm activity and periodontal pathogen counts, presenting a promising adjunctive therapy for PD.

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