In situ forming hydrogel of natural polysaccharides through Schiff base reaction for soft tissue adhesive and hemostasis

In this study, a novel injectable hydrogel with biocompatibility and biodegradability through Schiff base reaction was prepared for soft tissue adhesive and hemostasis. Aldehyde hydroxyethyl starch (AHES) was prepared by oxidizing hydroxyethyl starch to get aldehyde groups. Amino carboxymethyl chitosan (ACC) was prepared by grafting ethylenediamine onto carboxymethyl chitosan to get more amino groups. Two-component AHES/ACC hydrogel was formed through Schiff base reaction between aldehyde and amino groups. By changing the reaction conditions various contents of aldehyde and amino group were achieved. The properties of AHES/ACC hydrogel were tunable including gelation time, swelling ratio, degradation and mechanical tensile by varying the content of aldehyde and amino groups. Then biocompatibility measurements showed that AHES/ACC hydrogels supported cell viability and proliferation in vitro and exhibited good biodegradability and biocompatibility in vivo. AHES/ACC hydrogel also had effective hemostatic ability. Thus, this study provides a strategy for the design and fabrication of fast in situ forming hydrogels. Through Schiff base reaction in situ forming hydrogel derived from natural polysaccharides can be modulated and prepared for soft tissue adhesive, hemostasis or other biomedical applications in future.