New injectable chitosan-hyaluronic acid based hydrogels for hemostasis and wound healing.

It is a challenge to develop hemostatic and wound dressings that are used for irregular shape and deep wound. Herein, a series of novel N-succinyl chitosan-oxidized hyaluronic acid based (NSC-OHA-based) hydrogels were fabricated, while calcium ions (Ca) and/or four-armed amine-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (4-arm-PEG-NH, labeled as PEG1) were introduced to regulate the mechanical behavior and bioactivities. We found all NSC-OHA-based hydrogels displayed self-healing and injectable performances. Besides, the addition of Ca or PEG1 exhibited a positive effect on the adjustable mechanical behavior of hydrogels, providing the possibility to meet different mechanical requirements. Furthermore, Ca or PEG1 significantly improved the biocompatibility, hemostasis and wound healing abilities of NSC-OHA hydrogel. Notably, compared with the commercial hemostatic agent (Arista™), hydrogels containing Ca showed comparable hemostatic effects and significantly accelerated wound healing. Overall, the calcium-containing NSC-OHA hydrogels are promising for hemostasis and accelerating wound healing.