New gelatin wound dressing with calcium carbonate nanoparticles shows antibacterial and bone-healing promise

Researchers have created a gelatin-based dressing infused with calcium carbonate particles loaded with gentamicin and curcumin, demonstrating strong hemostatic, antibacterial and osteogenic properties.

A team developed a biocompatible wound dressing composed of gelatin and calcium carbonate nanoparticles that carry gentamicin and curcumin. The scaffold exhibits a porous, sponge-like architecture with a water contact angle of 15.2°, and tensile strengths of 0.096 ± 0.05 MPa dry and 0.083 ± 0.04 MPa when hydrated. It degrades progressively, reaching roughly 90% loss by day ten and nearly complete breakdown within fourteen days, while soaking up 35-40 times its weight in blood.

In vitro assays showed the dressing is non-cytotoxic to human dermal fibroblasts and causes only 0.189 ± 0.010% hemolysis. Antibacterial testing against Staphylococcus aureus produced a 15.74 ± 1.15 mm inhibition zone, with MIC of 106.33 ± 0.89 µg/mL and MBC of 215.23 ± 1.5 µg/mL. Moreover, the material significantly increased alkaline phosphatase activity in mesenchymal stem cells after fourteen days, indicating enhanced early osteogenic differentiation. The findings point to a promising multifunctional dressing for managing infected wounds and supporting bone tissue regeneration, particularly in osteomyelitis cases.