How Does Alginate Ag Dressing Work?

How Does Alginate Ag Dressing Work?

Alginate ag dressing generally refers to alginate medical dressing, which is a functional wound dressing with high absorption performance composed of alginate. After the dressing contacts the wound exudate, it can form a soft gel, which provides an ideal moist environment for wound healing, promotes wound healing, and relieves wound pain. The ingredient of alginate ag dressing is alginate, a natural polysaccharide carbohydrate extracted from seaweed, which is a kind of natural cellulose. Alginate ag dressing can stop bleeding because calcium ions in alginate can activate prothrombin activity in blood. The alginate ag dressing can also play a role in protecting the wound surface, because the alginate adjuvant can form a gel after being mixed with blood and cover the wound surface.

 

1. Alginate ag dressing is made of natural materials derived from seaweed

 

Like the hydrocolloid dressing, the alginate ag dressing is also a "gel-forming" dressing, which can be transformed into a gel after encountering exudate, which has a good function of absorbing exudate and maintaining a moist environment. However, compared with hydrocolloids, it not only has a different structure, but also has a different mechanism of action and different indications. Alginate ag dressing like alginate foam dressing is a highly absorbent and biodegradable dressing. It is widely used in the cleaning and treatment of various exuding wounds, including diabetic ulcers, venous ulcers, pressure ulcers, cavity wounds, and bleeding wounds.

 

The main ingredient of alginate pads is calcium alginate, a substance that is insoluble in water. When it encounters liquids rich in sodium ions (such as exudate and blood, etc.), calcium and sodium ions will be exchanged, calcium ions will be released, and sodium ions will combine with alginic acid to form a hydrophilic gel. Substances that help the wound maintain a moist environment and enhance autolytic debridement, as well as promote the growth of granulation tissue. Alginate has a strong liquid absorption capacity and can absorb up to 20 times its own weight in liquid. Therefore, alginate ag dressing can be used on wounds with moderate to severe exudation, accelerated debridement on wounds with necrotic tissue, and can be used even on infected wounds. Since calcium ion is one of the coagulation factors of the human body, alginate ag dressing has a certain hemostatic effect, but it is not suitable for wounds with more bleeding. The alginate ag dressing is easy to leave residues such as fibers on the wound, but it can be easily washed off with normal saline. After each dressing change, be sure to rinse the wound to prevent the residual dressing from affecting the development of granulation tissue.

 

2. The effect of alginate ag dressing

 

Several studies have investigated the effect of alginate pads on the wound healing process. The healing of human skin ulcers requires the growth of vascular-rich granulation tissue, which fills the larger tissue defect through regeneration of the dermis, and is finally covered by epithelial cells to complete the healing. One study mimicked the entire process in vitro, using human dermal fibroblasts, microvascular endothelial cells, and keratinocytes grown in vitro. The effects of calcium alginate on the ability of these cultured cells to proliferate and move, as well as the development of microvessels, were observed.

 

The study found that calcium alginate can increase the proliferation of fibroblasts, but reduce the proliferation of vascular endothelial cells and keratinocytes. In contrast, calcium alginate inhibited the movement of fibroblasts but had no effect on the movement of keratinocytes. Calcium alginate had no significant effect on microangiogenic activity. The effect of calcium alginate on cell proliferation and migration may be accomplished through the release of calcium ions. These results suggest that calcium alginate can improve the activity of certain cells in wound healing.

 

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