CD44 acts as the main binding site for hyaluronic acid, a molecule abundant in skin and connective tissue. Through this interaction, CD44 helps to regulate inflammation, fibroblast activity, and collagen organisation – processes that together dictate the quality of wound repair. When CD44 signalling functions optimally, skin tends to regenerate in an orderly, elastic way; when disrupted, the result is often thickened, fibrotic scarring.  

The review draws together evidence from animal and in-vitro studies showing that blocking or deleting CD44 delays healing and increases fibrosis, while enhancing CD44 signalling can speed up closure and improve tissue texture. In one cited experiment, wounds treated with high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid, which binds strongly to CD44,  showed around 30% faster closure and 40% more organised collagen alignment compared with untreated controls.  

Researchers propose that targeting the CD44 pathway could lead to a new class of regenerative skin treatments. Potential strategies include topical formulations or biomaterial scaffolds designed to activate CD44 receptors, encouraging scar-free healing following injury, surgery, or laser resurfacing.  

The authors caution, however, that most data are pre-clinical, and robust human trials are still needed to verify both efficacy and safety. They also note that factors such as age, diabetes, and skin phototype may influence CD44 activity, helping to explain why some people scar more readily than others.  

The review underscores CD44’s emerging importance as a therapeutic target in wound biology and suggests that refining hyaluronic-acid-based treatments around its receptor interactions could represent a major step toward true regenerative repair.