Ophicalcitum-Inspired Microspheres as a Topical Hemostatic Agent

Ophicalcitum, as an oral mineral in traditional Chinese medicine, has a long history of therapeutic use in hemostasis, and its main component is calcium carbonate, which has good biosafety, excellent structural properties, and low cost. Inspired by it, calcium carbonate microspheres with different particle sizes were synthesized using ethylene glycol and ultrapure water as solvents. Furthermore, luteolin was loaded onto calcium carbonate microspheres to prepare multifunctional hemostatic materials with healing-promoting effects. Experimental results have shown that calcium carbonate microspheres had excellent hemostatic properties without hemolytic, cytotoxic, and metabolic toxic effects and their hemostatic properties were independent of particle sizes. In addition, luteolin loaded on calcium carbonate microspheres promoted skin healing, indicating that these calcium carbonate microspheres were potential hemostatic materials.