UGM students Maharani Nur Azizah (FKG), Putri Anggraini Budianto (Faculty of Pharmacy), and Freisiane Rachmalia Sadono (FKG) researched the potential of combining curcumin and gelatin as a surgical therapy for free gingival grafts to treat receding gums.
Maharani said the research was conducted to see how many people suffering from receding gums complain that their teeth become sensitive and less aesthetic. One of the treatments for receding gums is a palate graft, commonly called a free gingival graft. However, free gingival graft surgical procedures often cause extensive wounds in the area of the roof of the mouth and potentially cause infection if not handled properly.
This condition prompted the students to conduct research to develop post-cleft palate therapy. They utilize curcumin which is known to be useful as an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial agent.
“Because the percentage of curcumin that can be absorbed by the body is very low, we combined it with gelatin, which is often used to release medicinal compounds directly to the target,” she explained on Monday (13/9).
The combination of the two compounds would overcome the weakness of curcumin. This way, the body can absorb the curcumin more optimally, thus relieving inflammation after a palate graft.
Maharani explained that they used computational and database technology in their research, specifically molecular docking. Molecular docking experiments were carried out by testing curcumin and gelatin compounds with receptors of factors that can cause inflammation, namely IL1R1. After that, the docking score used Command Prompt.
The lower or negative docking score indicates that curcumin and gelatin can bind more strongly to IL1R1. However, due to the hydrogen bonding of curcumin and gelatin, curcumin can be released to its receptors, making it work immediately.
“From the molecular docking test, we found that the combination of curcumin and gelatin compounds has the highest potential in reducing inflammation after a palate graft compared to curcumin or gelatin alone,” added Putri.
Putri said the research only used computational technology and did not conduct experiments in the laboratory. However, they hoped that the results of this study can be the first step to developing post-palate graft therapy using these two compounds.
Source: https://www.ugm.ac.id/id/berita/21667-kurkumin-dan-gelatin-potensial-untuk-terapi-bedah-gusi-turun
