HNTs assembled sponge with enhanced mechanical properties and bioactivity for uncontrollable hemorrhage and wound healing

Self-expanding sponges with excellent water absorption capacity hold unique prospects for treating uncontrollable and noncompressible hemorrhage. However, fabrication of sponges with robust mechanical properties, effective pro-coagulation potential and desired infection prevention enabling for irregular or deep wound management including hemostasis and wound repair are the urgent challenge. Here, the halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were assembled with modified starch (MSt) by hydrogen bond formation, and the composite sponge (HNTs/MSt) was finally developed after foaming technique, crosslinking reaction and lyophilization. The prepared sponge not only retained excellent water absorption and self-expanding ability, but also exhibited a two-fold increase in the maximum compressive stress and a 53 % reduction in clotting time in vitro due to assembled silicon-based nanotubes. As a result, the composite sponge had better hemostatic performance in SD rat/rabbit liver volume defect and artery transection hemorrhage models as compared with control and commercial hemostatic sponges. Furthermore, due to the drug-loading capacity of HNTs, composite sponge loaded with gentamycin could inhibit the growth of microorganism and promote rat full-thickness skin wound healing. All the results indicated that HNTs assembled sponge would be promising biomaterial for treating uncontrollable hemorrhage and wound repair.