Preparation of biodegradable carboxymethyl cellulose/dopamine/Ag NPs cryogel for rapid hemostasis and bacteria-infected wound repair

Massive hemorrhage caused by accident or surgery is a major factor in accidental death. In addition, bacterial infection is also an important threat after bleeding. Cryogels with interpenetrating macroporous structures pose great application prospects in rapid hemostasis and infected wound repair. In this study, cryogels with different pore size are prepared by carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and dopamine (DA). The CMC grafted with different DA amounts is crosslinked by free DA through oxidative polymerization at low temperatures to form cryogels with different pore sizes. And the CMC/DA-3 cryogel is chosen as the optimal group for its high porosity, suitable mechanical, and good hemostatic ability. CMC/DA-3 cryogel is loaded with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to prepare hemostatic cryogel with antibacterial properties. Antibacterial tests and animal hemostasis experiments confirm that the CMC/DA-3/Ag cryogel has good antibacterial properties and can finish rapid hemostasis. In the S. aureus infection skin defect model, the wound healing is significantly improved compared with commercial gelatin sponge. In summary, the novel cryogel has great potential in rapid hemostasis and infected wound healing.