Size-tunable and biodegradable thrombin-functionalized carboxymethyl chitin microspheres for endovascular...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Vascular Surgery
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Endovascular embolization is a key minimally invasive technique for bleeding control and tumor treatment.
• Current embolic agents have limitations in efficacy and biocompatibility.
• Development of advanced embolic materials is crucial for improving patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel, size-tunable, and biodegradable carboxymethyl chitin embolic microspheres.
• To functionalize these microspheres with thrombin to enhance hemostatic properties.
• To evaluate the in vitro and in vivo performance of the thrombin-functionalized microspheres.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of carboxymethyl chitin embolic microspheres using an aqueous two-phase system.
• Covalent introduction of thrombin to create thrombin-functionalized microspheres (Thr@CMCHm-30).
• In vitro and in vivo evaluation in rat and rabbit embolization models, comparing with commercial agents.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized size-tunable (5-500 μm) carboxymethyl chitin microspheres.
• Demonstrated good degradability and biocompatibility of the microspheres.
• Thr@CMCHm-30 significantly promoted blood clotting and clot strength, showing superior embolization efficacy over Gelfoam and CalliSpheres.

Conclusions:

• Size-tunable, biodegradable, thrombin-functionalized carboxymethyl chitin microspheres (Thr@CMCHm-30) were developed.
• Thr@CMCHm-30 exhibits excellent hemostatic and embolization capabilities.
• These microspheres hold significant potential for clinical application in endovascular embolization and hemostasis.