Killing Two Birds with One Stone: Shape-Memory Cryogels for Hemostasis and Wound Repair

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Wound Healing

Background:

• Effective treatment of deep incompressible bleeding requires advanced hemostatic agents.
• Current biomaterials often lack real-time infection monitoring and repair promotion capabilities post-hemostasis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a multifunctional cryogel for hemostasis, bacterial infection monitoring, and wound repair.
• To investigate the properties of a QCSG/FLZ cryogel for treating deep incompressible wounds.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a QCSG/FLZ cryogel using glycidyl methacrylate-functionalized quaternary chitosan (QCSG), fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), and lysozyme (LYZ)-modified zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8).
• Evaluation of the cryogel's microporous structure, mechanical properties, shape-memory capacity, fluorescence-based infection monitoring, and antibacterial activity.

Main Results:

• The QCSG/FLZ cryogel exhibits an interconnected microporous structure and enhanced mechanical properties suitable for deep wound hemostasis.
• The cryogel's fluorescence quench signal allows for timely detection of bacterial infection.
• Release of LYZ and Zn2+ from ZIF-8 in acidic conditions effectively kills bacteria and promotes wound repair.

Conclusions:

• QCSG/FLZ cryogels show significant potential for hemostasis in deep incompressible wounds.
• This multifunctional biomaterial offers a promising approach for real-time infection monitoring and accelerated wound healing.