Epidermal growth factor-incorporated hydrogen bond crosslinked hemostatic microparticles capable of timely response to accidental bleeding for prehospital rescue

Abstract

Prehospital rescue of accidental massive bleeding is crucial for saving lives. However, currently available hemostatic materials are still in infancy in treating accidental bleeding due to the challenges in fully satisfying the complex outdoor hemostatic requirements. Herein, we designed an epidermal growth factor (EGF)- incorporated, microparticle-formed, high-strength, dynamic environment-stable hemostatic gel system for prehospital rescue. Carboxyl and dimethylamide were employed as the hydrogen bond (H-bond) groups and were carefully engineered into the microparticles (DHMs). We demonstrated that the unique H-bond crosslinked micronized structure enabled the DHM-based gelling system to adequately meet the outdoor hemostatic requirements. The stable H-bond groups allow the DHMs to be stored at room temperature and be easily carried around. The small sizes (150-250 μm) of the DHMs enabled the filling of irregular defects, and upon encountering water, these DHMs integrated into hydrogels (DHMs-gels) with high mechanical strength (1.61 MPa), strong tissue adhesiveness (66.5 kPa) and stable performance under dynamic environments. In vivo results showed that the EGF-incorporated DHMs-gels (DHMs-EGF gel) achieved a 100 % survival rate in a simulated rescue process and promoted wound healing. Simultaneously possessing multiple prehospital rescue-required properties, the hemostatic DHMs-EGF may become an effective tool for emergency rescue.

Keywords: Epidermal growth factor; Hydrogen bond crosslinked hydrogels; Prehospital rescue.