Sprayable surface-adaptive biocompatible membranes for efficient hemostasis via assembly of chitosan and polyphosphate

This work describes a hemostatic membrane system (or surface coating) based on spray-assisted layer-by-layer electrostatic assemblies of oppositely charged polyphosphate (polyP) and chitosan (Cs). The as-prepared mem-brane formed a robust micro-stratified porous structure with high flexibility. Both blood clotting test and rodent hepatic severe hemorrhage model revealed the excellent hemostatic performance of the membrane system, benefitting from the robust assembly and synergistic effect of polyP/Cs as well as membrane surface chemistry. Compared to Cs-topped membrane surface, polyP-sprayed one exhibited further improved hemostatic effect via promoting fibrin formation. Besides, comprehensive in vitro and in vivo evaluations demonstrated good biocompatibility and biodegradability of the membrane. The present approach that integrated the hemostasis-stimulating capability of polyP/Cs with facile spraying method is highly scalable and flexible, which is envi-sioned to be adapted readily for other hemostatic polyelectrolytes and surface functionalization of diverse existing hemostatic products on demand.

Automated summary

This work presents a hemostatic membrane system based on spray-assisted layer-by-layer electrostatic assemblies of polyphosphate and chitosan. The membrane exhibits excellent hemostatic performance, as confirmed by blood clotting tests and a rodent hepatic severe hemorrhage model. It also demonstrates good biocompatibility and biodegradability. This scalable and flexible approach can be easily adapted for other hemostatic polyelectrolytes and surface functionalization of existing hemostatic products.