Photostable Wound Dressing Materials and Methods of Production Thereof

摘要

The invention provides a method of preparing an antimicrobial sponge material for medicinal use, comprising the steps of: treating an anionic polysaccharide with a solution of a silver salt to produce a complex of the anionic polysaccharide with silver; dispersing said complex in aqueous ascorbic acid to form an acidified dispersion, followed by freeze-drying or solvent-drying the dispersion to form the sponge material. Also provided is a photostabilized antimicrobial sponge material comprising an anionic polysaccharide complexed with silver (I) ions, wherein the sponge further comprises ascorbic acid, and the sponge has a substantially white colour that is substantially stable against discoloration on exposure to light. Also provided are wound dressings comprising such materials, and the use of such materials in medicine.