Microspheres of Carboxymethyl Chitosan, Sodium Alginate, and Collagen as a Hemostatic Agent in Vivo

Abstract

In the search for biocompatible composite microspheres to be used as a hemostatic agent, in a previous study, we designed a novel biomaterial, consisting of composite microspheres containing three natural biological ingredients, carboxymethyl chitosan, sodium alginate and collagen (CSCM). Furthermore, the chemical and physical properties, hemostatic ability, biocompatibility and cytotoxicity were investigated in vitro. In this work, the in vivo hemostatic performance, wound healing, hemocompatibility, histocompatibility, and biodegradability were evaluated by a series of experiments. The results showed that CSCM could both stop bleeding and enhance healing efficiency by accelerating the clotting and the wound closure rate, suggesting that CSCM acts as a hemostat, and enhances wound healing. In addition, the CSCM material had negligible intracutaneous stimulation reactions and no obvious hemolytic reactions. More importantly, CSCM can be degraded in vivo without significant impacts on physiology, biochemistry, and organization. Thus, CSCM may be a useful tool to stop bleeding in emergency conditions in both military and civilian settings.