Sprayable oxidized cellulose nanofiber hydrogel with rapid hemostatic ability for skin wound healing

Wound healing, especially hemostasis, requires rapid bleeding control for tissue regeneration. Although TEMPO-mediated oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCN) are commonly used in hemostatic materials clinically, Scarce research has explored TOCN as the sole component in sprayable hydrogels for hemostasis and wound repair. In this study, we successfully formulated a sprayable hydrogel composed solely of TOCN and water. We evaluated its effectiveness in achieving rapid hemostasis and promoting skin wound healing via comprehensive in vitro and in vivo experiments. Our findings indicate that the uniformly sized nanoscale oxidized cellulose, obtained via ultrasonic fragmentation, can form a non-crosslinked three-dimensional network in water, resembling a hydrogel. The TOCN hydrogel exhibits excellent biocompatibility and coagulation properties. When compared to sodium alginate, TOCN hydrogel demonstrates superior hemostatic results, effectively stopping bleeding in a rat liver hemostasis model. Additionally, the sprayable TOCN hydrogel showed outstanding efficacy in a rat skin-defect model, achieving complete wound closure and regeneration of dermal and epidermal tissues, including sebaceous glands and hair follicles, by day 15. Its significant hemostatic effect and promotion of wound healing were further validated in a porcine wound model. In conclusion, the study highlights the great clinical potential of TOCN-based sprayable hydrogel for hemostasis and skin healing.