Effective Wound Healing by Antibacterial and Bioactive Calcium-Fluoride-Containing Composite Hydrogel Dressings Prepared Using in Situ Precipitation.

In this study, we report the development of a hyaluronic acid (HA)-based composite hydrogel containing calcium fluoride (CaF) with good biocompatibility and antibacterial properties for multifunctional wound dressing applications. CaF was newly selected for incorporation within HA because it can release both Ca and F ions, which are well-known ions for affecting cell proliferation and inhibiting bacterial growth, respectively. In particular, an in situ precipitation process enables easy control over the released amount of F ions by simply adjusting the precursor solutions (calcium chloride (CaCl) and ammonium fluoride (NHF)) used for the CaF precipitation.