Shear-Thinning Nanocomposite Hydrogels for the Treatment of Hemorrhage

Abstract

Internal hemorrhaging is a leading cause of death after traumatic injury on the battlefield. Although several surgical approaches such as the use of fibrin glue and tissue adhesive have been commercialized to achieve hemostasis, these approaches are difficult to employ on the battlefield and cannot be used for incompressible wounds. Here, we present shear-thinning nanocomposite hydrogels composed of synthetic silicate nanoplatelets and gelatin as injectable hemostatic agents. These materials are demonstrated to decrease in vitro blood clotting times by 77%, and to form stable clot-gel systems. In vivo tests indicated that the nanocomposites are biocompatible and capable of promoting hemostasis in an otherwise lethal liver laceration. The combination of injectability, rapid mechanical recovery, physiological stability, and the ability to promote coagulation result in a hemostat for treating incompressible wounds in out-of-hospital, emergency conditions.

Biomedical applications of cationic clay minerals

“…In a recently published study, LAPONITE® and gelatin nanocomposites were formulated as an injectable hydrogel for hemorrhage treatment. 119 The hydrogel displayed enhanced in vitro and in vivo coagulation properties.…”

Elastomeric and mechanically stiff nanocomposites from poly(glycerol sebacate) and bioactive nanosilicates

“…[23,24] Some of the promising biomedical applications for nanosilicates-based composites include high-performance elastomers [25][26][27][28], selfhealing structures [29], injectable hemostats [30], moldable hydrogels [31], and drug delivery vehicles [32,33]. Recently, our group showed that by incorporating nanosilicates in collagen-based matrix, significant enhances alkaline phosphate (ALP) activity (an early marker for osteogenesis), and promotes production of mineralized matrix.…”

Injectable nanoengineered stimuli-responsive hydrogels for on-demand and localized therapeutic delivery

“…1–6 A range of synthetic and natural polymers such as alginate, gelatin, chitosan, collagen, poly(ethylene glycol) are explored to mimic extracellular matrices. 5, 6 For example, gelatin-based injectable hydrogels have been developed for gene delivery 7 , wound healing 8 , hemostatic agents 8 , stem cell delivery 9 , and tissue engineering 10 . Despite interesting biological characteristics, these injectable hydrogels lack response to external stimuli to control and release entrapped therapeutics.…”