Improvement of platelet aggregation and rapid induction of hemostasis in chitosan dressing using silver nanoparticles

There is an increasing demand for high-performance hemostatic agents with good antibacterial efficiency and biocompatibility. In this study, a chitosan/gelatin/sodium hyaluronate hemostatic dressing with silver nanoparticles (CGSH/Ag50) was designed and characterized. Our results suggest that CGSH/Ag50 has high blood absorption and promotes platelet aggregation by the activation of positively charged surface and stimulation of silver nanoparticles. Owing to these excellent properties, CGSH/Ag50 could rapidly control hemorrhage in rabbit ear and liver injury models. CGSH/Ag50 also shows good antibacterial activity, good liquid absorption, and significantly promotes full-thickness wound healing. In the hemolysis and L929 cell cytotoxicity assays, CGSH/Ag50 exhibited no cytotoxicity, suggesting good hemocompatibility and biocompatibility. These observations suggest that CGSH/Ag50 can be an efficient hemostatic material with enough biocompatibility to be used for controlling hemorrhage and promoting wound healing after hemostasis surgery.