Calcium carboxymethyl cellulose/quaternary ammonium chitosan self-gelling powder with good biocompatibility for wound...

In this study, a multifunctional self-gelling hemostatic powder (CQA) was designed using natural biomaterials by integrating the antioxidant and biocompatible properties of Aloe vera gel (AV) with the hemostatic efficacy of calcium carboxymethylcellulose (Ca-CMC) and the antibacterial activity of quaternary ammonium chitosan (QCS). The CQA powder rapidly absorbs moisture upon contact with blood, forming a physically sealing hydrogel network through electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions. In vitro evaluations revealed that the optimized formulation, CQA_0.3, exhibits outstanding adsorption capacity, antioxidant activity, and biocompatibility. Compared to commercial chitosan-based hemostatic powder (CS), CQA_0.3 demonstrated significantly enhanced procoagulant performance, with a blood clotting index (BCI) of 8.48% versus 56.65% for CS, and promoted accelerated blood cell adhesion. In whole-blood coagulation assays, the CQA_0.3 group achieved rapid clotting within 180 s, while bleeding persisted in the CS group beyond 210 s. In practical hemorrhage models, CQA_0.3 reduced blood loss to 94.0 ± 8.7 mg, substantially lower than both the CQ group (225.7 ± 6.03 mg) and the CS group (292.7 ± 14.46 mg). These findings highlight the potential of CQA_0.3 as a safe, efficient, and adaptable hemostatic agent for emergency and clinical applications, combining rapid gelation, high biocompatibility, and excellent wound adaptability.