Self-Gelling Hemostatic Powders Driven by Hydrogen Bonding and Electrostatic Interactions with Antibacterial and Antioxidant Properties

Self-gelling powders present distinctive advantages for managing incompressible wounds with elusive bleeding points. In this study, a self-gelling powder composed of polyacrylic acid/arginine-modified polylysine/tannic acid (PAA/PLG/TA) is developed. The system's formation is primarily driven by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. To enhance the self-gelling behavior, the guanidinium group from arginine is integrated into the polylysine chain to form PLG, thereby improving electrostatic interactions with the carboxyl groups on PAA. Upon contact with blood at the wound site, the PAA/PLG/TA powder rapidly absorbs water, forming a self-gel and establishing robust adhesion with the tissue. The mechanical properties of the self-gelling powder can be modulated by adjusting the PAA/PLG ratio. In the presence of PAA, the amino groups are protonated and positively charged, yielding a potent antibacterial effect, alleviating oxidative stress, and facilitating the repair of traumatized tissue. The incorporation of TA increases the cross-linking degree within the self-gel, enhances tissue adhesion properties, and provides binding sites for red blood cells and platelets. In vitro and in vivo hemostasis results show that the PAA/PLG/TA self-gelling hemostatic powder significantly reduces hemostasis time and bleeding volume compared to commercial chitosan hemostatic powder. Consequently, the PAA/PLG/TA self-gelling hemostatic powder holds promising potential for future rapid hemostasis applications.