A self-gelling alginate/chitosan based powder containing bioactive nanoparticles for non-compressible bleeding control and promoting wound healing

The challenge remains in developing hemostatic dressings that can fulfill both hemostatic and repair functions to meet clinical demands worldwide. Herein, the biodegradable powders composed of benzeneboronic acid-modified sodium alginate/catechol-modified quaternized chitosan hydrogel (SBQCC) networks and bioactive cerium oxide nanoparticles (CNPs), were prepared for hemostasis and promoting wound healing. The SBQCC/CNPs powders had good self-gelation ability, water absorption ratio, tissue adhesiveness and biocompatibility. The SBQCC/CNPs powders could not only rapidly absorb a large amount of blood to concentrate coagulation factors when applied on bleeding wounds, but also formed an adhesive hydrogel physical barrier to control bleeding in situ. Meanwhile, the aggregation and activation of red blood cells and platelets induced by the SBQCC/CNPs powders can initiate the forming of internal blood clot with fibrin to further enhance the hemostatic effect. The SBQCC/CNPs powders demonstrated excellent hemostatic performance in non-compressible rat tail vein bleeding and rabbit liver bleeding models. In addition, SBQCC/CNPs powder-derived hydrogels had antibacterial activity and multiple biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and promoting angiogenesis for accelerating wound healing. Therefore, the SBQCC/CNPs powders can accelerate wound healing while achieving effective hemostasis, which will be a promising hemostatic dressing.