Intelligent and biocompatible cellulose aerogels featured with high-elastic and fast-hemostatic for epistaxis and wound healing

Abstract

Nasal tamponade is a commonly employed and highly effective treatment method for preventing nasal bleeding. However, the current nasal packing hemostatic materials exhibit some limitations, such as low hemostatic efficiency, the potential for causing secondary injury when removed from the nasal cavity, limited intelligence in their design, and an inability to promote the healing of nasal mucosa wounds. Herein, we report the fabrication of a smart cellulose aerogel through the covalent cross-linking of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) macromolecules, while incorporating one-dimensional cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and two-dimensional MXene as reinforcing network scaffolds and conductive fillers. The abundant hydrogen and ether bonds in aerogels make them possess high elasticity in both dry and wet states, which can be compressed 100 times at 90 % deformation with a stress loss of <10 % under water. The highly elastic aerogels can be filled into the narrow nasal passages, pressuring the capillaries and reducing the amount of bleeding. Moreover, the strong interface between aerogels and blood can promote red blood cell aggregation, platelet adhesion and activation, activate intrinsic coagulation pathway and accelerate blood coagulation, resulting in excellent hemostatic ability. Furthermore, the aerogels exhibit excellent hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility, making them suitable for wound healing and capable of fully healing wounds within 15 days. Notably, the presence of MXene causes the aerogels to form a conductive network when exposed to blood, enabling them to perform real-time hemostatic monitoring without removing the dressing. This innovative biomedical aerogel, prepared from natural materials, shows excellent potential for applications in rapid nasal hemostasis.