Comparing two absorbable hemostatic composites produced from plant nanocellulose and bacterial nanocellulose

Many attempts have been made on the efficient production and high value-added application of a nano-scale cellulose product (nanocellulose), composed of plant nanocellulose fiber (PNC) and bacterial nanocellulose (BNC). However, the functional performance of products composed of PNC and BNC is poorly understood. It was hypothesized that nanocomposites based on these two nanocellulose types would show similar physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, and therapeutic efficacy for wound treatment, despite the presence of a unique 3D nanofibril network in BNC. With the aim of determining the more efficient hemostatic sponge for widespread application, two nanocomposite sponges produced from TEMPO-oxidized PNC (OPNC) and BNC (OBNC) were therefore compared in detail with two commercial hemostatic sponges. Two nanocomposite sponges, OPNC/COL/CS and OBNC/COL/CS, were obtained via electrostatic self-assembly using a combination of anionic oxidized cellulose and cationic chitosan (CS) to wrap collagen (COL) in a sandwich structure. The physical characterization of the two nanocomposites revealed minimal differences. The results demonstrated that both OPNC/COL/CS and OBNC/COL/CS exhibited strong antimicrobial properties, with similar in vitro hemocompatibility, in vivo hemostatic efficiency, histocompatibility, and biodegradability. Further experiments using two animal bleeding models demonstrated that both materials outperformed commercial hemostatic sponges in blood absorption and hemostatic efficacy.