A synergistic effect of fibrous carboxymethyl cellulose with equine collagen improved the hemostatic properties of freeze-dried wound dressings

Bleeding is one of the most commonly occurring injuries; it can be painful and even life-threatening condition. The hemostats are substances that promote blood clotting and fasten hemostasis. In this paper, we evaluated the hemostatic effect of freeze-dried wound dressings based on equine collagen, porcine collagen, fibrous carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and their mixtures. The wound dressings were investigated for their morphological structure, chemical structure, absorption properties, in vitro hemostasis, cytotoxicity assay and lastly, for in vivo hemostasis. We have found out that adding fibrous CMC into collagen-based hemostatic wound dressings creates a strong synergistic effect, which significantly improves absorption capacity by almost doubling it, as well as supports clotting time. Based on the in vivo studies on partial nephrectomy in rats, the time needed for achieving hemostasis was significantly lower due to the synergy of collagen and CMC. Our materials were compared to the commonly used hemostatic sealing patch on the market (Tachosil) during the in vivo testing, and sample of a mixture of equine collagen and CMC showed better hemostatic efficacy. Graphical abstract