Carboxymethylated polysaccharides from Chrysanthemum indicum with antimicrobial and hemostatic properties for promoting wound healing.

Seeking potential active ingredients with suitable functions to promote the entire wound repair process remains an unmet requirement. In this study, the polysaccharide (CIP) with an average molecular weight of 5.85 × 10 g/mol was isolated from dried Chrysanthemum indicum flowers. This polysaccharide was then chemically modified using chloroacetic acid, resulting in the synthesis of a series of carboxymethylated modification polysaccharides (CMCI). Notably, as the degree of substitution (DS) increased in CMCI samples, there was a gradual improvement in solubility, accompanied by a decrease in zeta potential and particle size. Importantly, CMCI-3 with the highest DS (≈0.6) exhibited excellent antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Additionally, CMCI-3 demonstrated the ability to enhance fibroblast proliferation and migration without causing significant cytotoxicity in vitro. Surprisingly, compared with pure CIP, CMCI-3 achieved more rapid hemostasis and significantly reduced blood loss in both rat tail amputation and liver injury models. Furthermore, animal skin defect experiments confirmed that CMCI-3 promoted wound healing effectively. Overall, these findings indicate that CMCI-3 is a promising functional polysaccharide for future clinical management of skin defect repair.