Developing a multifunctional chitosan composite sponge for managing traumatic injuries

Developing porous hemostatic sponges that are both biosafe and multifunctional remains a complex challenge. Conventional hemostatic techniques often fall short in managing bleeding effectively, leading to severe critical cases such as suboptimal hemostasis, increased infection risk, and complications arising from profuse bleeding. To address these deficits, our study introduces a novel multifunctional nanocomposite sponge that synergistically incorporates chitosan (CS), cellulose (Cel), graphene oxide (GO), and silver (Ag) nanoparticles. The resulting CS/Cel/GO/Ag developed demonstrates a swelling rate exceeding 3000 %, an absorption rate of over 2100 %, and the lowest stress surpassing 20 kPa at an initial 80 % strain. In vitro analyses reveal that the CS/Cel/GO/Ag sponge has excellent cytocompatibility, non-hemolytic nature, and competence in blood cell adherence and bacterial inhibition. In vivo evaluations further demonstrate that compared to conventional hemostatic methods, the sponge substantially enhances hemostatic efficacy, as evidenced by the marked reductions in clotting times and diminished blood loss compared to conventional hemostatic methods. Specifically, the test results of the CS/Cel/GO/Ag sponge across three different models are as follows: for the rat tail amputation model, the clotting time was 99 s, while blood loss was 222 mg; for the rat liver injury model, the clotting time was 129 s. while blood loss was 812 mg; for the rat femoral artery laceration model, the clotting time was 96 s, while blood loss was 758 mg. The compelling attributes of the CS/Cel/GO/Ag sponges position them as a promising solution for the acute management of bleeding. Their excellent performance indicates they have potential role to play in trauma care.