In Situ Ultrafast Self-gelling Coacervate Powder with Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Robust Wet Adhesion Properties for Hemostasis and Wound Healing

Abstract

Adhesive hydrogels are considered a promising strategy for achieving effective hemostasis and promoting wound healing. However, developing adhesive gel dressings that can simultaneously achieve strong wet tissue adhesion, scalable production, antibacterial capabilities, bioactivity, and good biocompatibility remains a major challenge. The phenomenon of marine mussels achieving underwater adhesion through coacervates provides new inspiration for the development of bio-inspired adhesives. Herein, inspired by that, a multifunctional coacervate powder (TCP powder) composed of tannic acid (TA), chitosan (CS), and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is developed. The powder is capable of swiftly self-gelling in situ upon absorption of interfacial water, resulting in forming a tight adhesion with moist tissue surfaces. Consequently, it exhibits significantly superior hemostatic efficacy compared to various commercial hemostatic materials. Furthermore, this powder can serve as a wound dressing companion with inherent antimicrobial and antioxidant capabilities. When combined with other bioactive substances (platelet-rich plasma and deferoxamine), it can promote the rapid healing of various types of wounds, including common, chronic, and infected wounds. In addition to its excellent hemostatic effects and wound healing capabilities, TCP powder also offers several advantages such as simple preparation, scalable production, and long-term storage, making it a promising candidate in the field of tissue regeneration.