Development of a novel bio-inspired “cotton-like” collagen aggregate/chitin based biomaterial with a biomimetic 3D microstructure for efficient hemostasis and tissue repair

Hemostatic materials based on collagen and chitin are commonly assessed with regard to their topical absorbability and bioactivity. However, their clinical application faces challenges such as relatively long hemostatic and wound healing times, single function, as well as wound bleeding in patients with blood diseases. Herein, a novel bio-inspired “cotton-like” collagen aggregate/chitin based biomaterial for rapid hemostatic and tissue repair (V-3D-Ag-col) was fabricated by a specific gradient-removal solvent approach. Significantly, for the first time, an advanced collagen aggregate (Ag-col) composed of typical D-periodic cross-striated collagen fibrils and thick collagen fiber bundles was used instead of traditional collagen molecules (Col) to construct a hemostatic material. The target material showed a biomimetic 3D microstructure and “cotton-like” appearance, as expected, which were conducive to platelet adhesion and aggregation. The fabricated V-3D-Ag-col exhibited superior thermo-stability, hemostatic activity and biodegradability. More importantly, V-3D-Ag-col could significantly promote cell growth and proliferation. Further, V-3D-Ag-col could accelerate the wound healing process better than the same material based on conventional collagen (V-3D-Col). In consequence, V-3D-Ag-col has the potential to become a new generation of collagen-absorbable functional hemostatic materials. Furthermore, Ag-col can replace the currently available conventional collagen materials as raw materials for the new generation of collagen-based biomedical materials.