Chitosan/gelatin composite sponge is an absorbable surgical hemostatic agent

Chitosan is a versatile biological material that is very well known for its hemostatic properties. The purpose of this study was to test the hemostatic properties of a chitosan composite obtained from silkworm pupae and gelatin. This spongy porous material was cross-linked with tannins and then freeze-dried under vacuum to obtain composites containing chitosan and gelatin in different proportions. Results showed that the best blood-clotting index (BCI) was achieved in vitro by a chitosan/gelatin sponge (CG) ratio of 5/5 (W/W). Furthermore, CG had the best hemostatic effect in rabbit artery bleeding and liver model tests compared to the two components separately. The better hemostatic effect of CG may be due to its ability to absorb blood platelets easily and to the higher liquid adsorption ratio. However, no obvious differences were observed in thrombin generation with both aPTT and PT tests. Cell toxicity tests with L929 cells showed that CG caused no obvious cytotoxicity. In addition, subcutaneous transplantation of CG into rabbits resulted in almost complete degradation of CG after 6 weeks, together with rich vascular generation and proliferation in the transplanted region. Thus, CG can be considered an effective absorbable hemostatic material.