Bio-orthogonally crosslinked catechol–chitosan hydrogel for effective hemostasis and wound healing

Chitosan-based hydrogels have been widely used in biomedical applications owing to their versatile properties. A novel chitosan-poly (ethylene glycol)-hydrocaffeic acid (CS-PEG-HA) hybrid hydrogel was fabricated, with a four-fold improvement in the mechanical performance as compared to the pure chitosan hydrogel, while enhancing the mucoadhesiveness and hemostasis properties. The in vivo studies on the CS-PEG-HA hydrogel demonstrated that liver bleeding could be rapidly repaired because of the outstanding adhesion and hemostasis characteristics of the developed hydrogel. Additionally, the in vivo wound healing efficacy studies indicated that the CS-PEG-HA hydrogel significantly accelerated the healing rate in a full-thickness skin defect model, thereby helping to successfully reconstruct an intact and thickened epidermis in 14 days. Overall, the developed multifunctional hybrid hydrogel provides a novel method for in vivo visceral hemostasis and accelerated healing of cutaneous skin wounds.