Hemostatic Patches Based on Crosslinked Chitosan Films Applied in Interventional Procedures

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Chitosan (CS) is a promising hemostatic agent but suffers from poor swelling, shrinkage, and brittleness.
• Addressing these limitations is crucial for effective hemostatic applications, particularly in arterial puncture scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer biocompatible hemostatic crosslinked chitosan (CS) patches.
• To evaluate the physicochemical and biological properties of CS crosslinked with citric acid (CA), glutaraldehyde (GTA), and genipin (GP).
• To assess the efficacy of these enhanced CS materials for femoral arterial puncture.

Main Methods:

• Crosslinking of CS using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC)/N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) chemistry and CA, GTA, or GP.
• Characterization of swelling degree and mechanical properties of neat CS and crosslinked CS films (CSCA, CSGTA, CSG).
• Assessment of hemostatic ability via whole blood clotting and activated partial thromboplastin time tests after coating with thrombin (TB-CS).
• In vitro cytotoxicity evaluation using L-929 mouse fibroblasts via MTT assay.

Main Results:

• Crosslinked CS films (CSCA, CSGTA, CSG) exhibited significantly lower swelling degrees compared to neat CS.
• CSGTA and CSG films demonstrated good mechanical properties, while CSCA showed limitations.
• Thrombin-coated crosslinked CS films (TB-CS) significantly enhanced hemostatic performance in clotting and aPTT tests.
• All tested crosslinked CS materials (CSCA, CSGTA, CSGP) were found to be nontoxic in vitro.

Conclusions:

• Crosslinking effectively improves the physicochemical properties of chitosan for hemostatic applications.
• Crosslinked CS patches demonstrate enhanced hemostatic efficacy and biocompatibility.
• These modified chitosan materials hold potential for use in managing bleeding during femoral arterial puncture procedures.