Zein nanoparticle-incorporated gelatin–polyvinyl alcohol sponges with controllable adhesion and rapid hemostasis for enhanced wound healing

Hemorrhage control remains a critical challenge in clinical and emergency medicine. In this work, we developed a multifunctional hemostatic sponge (GPZ sponge) composed of a gelatin–polyvinyl alcohol matrix reinforced with zein nanoparticles (ZNPs). The incorporation of ZNPs endowed the sponge with stable fixation on moist tissue surfaces while allowing ethanol-triggered facile removal. Upon hydration, the sponge transformed into a dense hydrogel capable of withstanding burst pressures exceeding 140 mmHg and achieving rapid, thrombin-independent hemostasis through enhanced platelet aggregation. Moreover, the intrinsic antioxidant activity of ZNPs conferred efficient reactive oxygen species scavenging. In rat liver bleeding models, the GPZ sponge resulted in minimal blood loss (∼0.11 g), which was dramatically lower than that observed with the commercial gelatin sponge (∼1.19 g), highlighting its outstanding hemostatic efficacy. Furthermore, it achieved effective hemostasis in rat cardiac puncture, rabbit femoral artery, and heparinized porcine carotid artery injury models, demonstrating robust performance under severe and high-pressure bleeding conditions. In full-thickness skin wounds treated with GPZ sponge, the closure ratio reached 97.2% at day 14, significantly higher than 80.9% in the commercial gelatin sponge group. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that the GPZ sponge is an easily fabricated and highly efficient hemostatic material with strong translational potential for next-generation clinical and emergency wound care.