Biomaterials for effective hemorrhage control are urgently needed in clinics as uncontrolled bleeding is associated with high mortality. Herein, we developed an injectable and in situ photo-crosslinkable hybrid hemostatic hydrogel by combining pectin methacrylate (PECMA) and gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA). This modular material system combines ionic- and photo-crosslinking chemistries to design interpenetrating networks (IPN) exhibiting tunable rheology, highly porous structure, and controllable swelling and mechanical properties. By simply changing the calcium (0-15 mM) and polymer (1.5-7%) content used for the sequential crosslinking of hydrogels via calcium gelation and UV-photopolymerization, it was possible to precisely modulate the injectability, degradation, and swelling ratio. Moreover, it is demonstrated that PECMA/GelMA hydrogels present good cytocompatibility and uniquely synergize the hemostatic properties of calcium ions on PECMA, the amine residues on GelMA, and the highly porous network toward rapid blood absorption and fast coagulation effect. An in vitro porcine skin bleeding model confirmed that the hydrogel could be directly injected into the wound and rapidly photo-crosslinked, circumventing the bleeding and decreasing the coagulation time by 39%. Importantly, the crosslinked hydrogel could be easily removed to prevent secondary wound injury. Overall, this injectable hybrid PECMA/GelMA hydrogel stands as a promising hemostatic material.
Keywords: Gelatin; Hemostasis; Injectable hydrogel; Interpenetrating polymer network; Pectin.
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