Biocompatibility of curcumin-activated platelet-rich fibrin: an in vitro study

Abstract Objectives To assess the short-term cytocompatibility of curcumin-activated platelet-rich fibrin (C-PRF) compared with conventional platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) using HFF-2 human fibroblasts. Materials and Methods One venous blood preparation from a healthy volunteer was used to prepare conventional PRF and C-PRF. Commercial curcumin powder containing 95% curcuminoids was solublized in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to obtain a nominal 100 mM stock. Working solutions of 1–20 mM was prepared, and 0.5 mL of the 20 mM solution was added to 8.5 mL blood before PRF centrifugation. PRF and C-PRF were prepared as 100 mg/mL (w/v) stocks in culture medium and diluted to 6.25–100 µg/mL. HFF-2 cells were exposed for 24 h and assessed by MTT and phase-contrast microscopy. Duplicate wells were technical replicates. Results Mean observed viability for PRF was 98.23%, 95.37%, 82.81%, 41.89% and 29.33% at 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50 and 100 µg/mL, respectively; corresponding C-PRF values were 99.15%, 97.38%, 90.49%, 80.92% and 37.56%. C-PRF showed higher observed viability at every concentration, with the largest difference at 50 µg/mL. No inferential p-values were calculated because only one biological preparation was tested. Conclusions C-PRF showed higher observed fibroblast metabolic activity than conventional PRF in this single-preparation experiment, particularly at 50 µg/mL. The findings provide preliminary evidence of short-term cytocompatibility but do not demonstrate enhanced periodontal regeneration. Clinical Relevance: C-PRF warrants further investigation using multiple independent blood donors, repeated biological preparations and periodontal cell models before regenerative or clinical conclusions are drawn.