Effects of calcium salts on experimental characterizations of sodium alginate hydrogels and the drug release of electrospun naringin-loaded microspheres hybrid hydrogel scaffolds

This study utilized four calcium sources (calcium carbonate, hydroxyapatite, calcium sulfate, and calcium chloride) combined with sodium alginate to form different hydrogel scaffolds and investigated differences in their related properties. In addition, the drug release behavior of the scaffolds was characterized by naringin release in vitro. The calcium carbonate and hydroxyapatite groups formed homogeneous hydrogels with better physical and mechanical properties. The hydroxyapatite and calcium sulfate groups had better sustained release ability. These results highlight the importance of proper calcium source selection when preparing sodium alginate hydrogels and demonstrate that hydroxyapatite as a calcium source has potential application in bone tissue engineering.