A Janus Gelatin Sponge with a Procoagulant Nanoparticle-Embedded Surface for Coagulopathic Hemostasis

Apart from the wide and safe application of natural polymer-based hemostatic materials/devices, it is still desirable to develop new types of hemostatic materials that can achieve both potent coagulopathic hemostasis and a facile preparation process. In this work, one Janus gelatin sponge (J-ZGS) is readily constructed for both coagulation-dependent and coagulopathic hemostasis by embedding zein nanoparticles on the surface of a self-prepared gelatin sponge (S-GS): zein nanoparticles were facilely prepared by an antisolvent method to achieve procoagulant blood–material interactions, while S-GS was prepared by freeze-drying a foaming gelatin solution. Due to the distinct secondary structure, the optimal zein nanoparticles possessed a higher in vitro hemostatic property than the pristine zein powder and other nanoparticles, the underlying mechanism of which was revealed as the superior RBC/platelet adhesion property in the presence/absence of plasma proteins. Compared with S-GS and a commercial gelatin sponge, J-ZGS achieved a significantly higher in vitro hemostatic property and similarly good blood compatibility/cytocompatibility. Moreover, in vivo artery-injury models confirmed the outstanding hemostatic performance of J-ZGS under both coagulation-dependent and coagulopathic conditions. Our work offers an appealing approach for developing potent hemostatic sponges from natural polymer-based nanoparticles that could be further extended to versatile hemostatic materials for coagulopathic hemostasis.