Sponge-like chitosan-based nanostructured antibacterial material as a topical hemostat

In this study, chitosan/alginic acid/zinc oxide (CHI/AA/ZnO) nanostructured hydrogel sponges were fabricated by incorporating ZnO nanoparticles (<100 nm) into polymer matrix to develop a new potential biomaterial for hemorrhage control. For this purpose, the crosslinked CHI/AA/ZnO nanostructured sponges were synthesized by freeze-drying technique. Genipin was used as a crosslinker. The prepared chitosan-based sponges were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis. The effects of ZnO content on the physicochemical characteristics of sponge-like nanostructured hydrogels were evaluated by swelling ratio in two different pH values. Physical immobilization of dexamethasone as a model drug in hydrogel matrix resulted sustained release of drug more than 3 days. Antibacterial activity of hydrogel sponges was assessed against Staphylococcus aureus. The cytotoxicity and hemostatic efficacy of crosslinked CHI/AA/ZnO sponge like-nanostructured hydrogels was evaluated in vitro and in vivo, respectively. The results of this study demonstrated that the prepared CHI/AA/ZnO nanostructured sponge had the potential to be an antibacterial topical hemostat. (c) 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 47522.