3D Printed Porous Okara-Based Sponge with Hemostatic and Antimicrobial Effects for Wound Healing

Bleeding and wound infections are two major threats to patients' lives. Creating a hemostatic sponge with efficient antibacterial ability, good hemostatic ability, and the ability to accelerate wound healing has become an important requirement. In this work, okara, an agricultural waste, was used for green reduction of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Okara-AgNP composite hemostatic sponges were then created using 3D printing and freeze-drying techniques. These sponges had a highly interconnected three-dimensional porous structure and can absorb liquids. In comparison to commercial poly vinyl formal (PVF) sponges, this sponge exhibited superior hemostasis (BCI value of 24.5%, significantly higher than PVF 53.1%), antibacterial ability (achieving 95.1% and 94.4%, against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively), and biosafety. Moreover, it showed an extremely high 87.8% wound healing rate on day 9. Additionally, because of its outstanding printability, print shapes can be designed in any way to meet the needs of different occasions. Okara-AgNP composite hemostatic sponges have much promise for usage as materials for wound hemostasis.