Injectable antibacterial conductive nanocomposite cryogels with rapid shape recovery for noncompressible hemorrhage and wound healing

TLDR

Developing injectable antibacterial and conductive shape‑memory hemostatic materials with high blood absorption and rapid recovery for irregular, noncompressible hemorrhage remains a challenge. This study reports injectable antibacterial conductive cryogels composed of carbon nanotubes and glycidyl methacrylate‑functionalized quaternized chitosan for lethal noncompressible hemorrhage hemostasis and wound healing. The cryogels are fabricated by incorporating CNTs into a glycidyl methacrylate‑functionalized quaternized chitosan matrix, yielding a conductive, shape‑memory scaffold that rapidly recovers upon blood contact. The CNT‑containing cryogels exhibit robust mechanical strength, rapid shape recovery, high blood uptake, superior clotting, platelet adhesion, and outperform gauze, gelatin sponge, Tegaderm, and Combat Gauze in mouse and rabbit hemorrhage models, demonstrating enhanced hemostasis and wound healing.

Abstract

Developing injectable antibacterial and conductive shape memory hemostatic with high blood absorption and fast recovery for irregularly shaped and noncompressible hemorrhage remains a challenge. Here we report injectable antibacterial conductive cryogels based on carbon nanotube (CNT) and glycidyl methacrylate functionalized quaternized chitosan for lethal noncompressible hemorrhage hemostasis and wound healing. These cryogels present robust mechanical strength, rapid blood-triggered shape recovery and absorption speed, and high blood uptake capacity. Moreover, cryogels show better blood-clotting ability, higher blood cell and platelet adhesion and activation than gelatin sponge and gauze. Cryogel with 4 mg/mL CNT (QCSG/CNT4) shows better hemostatic capability than gauze and gelatin hemostatic sponge in mouse-liver injury model and mouse-tail amputation model, and better wound healing performance than Tegaderm™ film. Importantly, QCSG/CNT4 presents excellent hemostatic performance in rabbit liver defect lethal noncompressible hemorrhage model and even better hemostatic ability than Combat Gauze in standardized circular liver bleeding model.