Achieving rapid hemostasis is critical in clinical settings, particularly for wounds with complex geometry where standard dressings may be insufficient. To address this need, researchers developed a powder-based, ionically responsive hemostatic material known as AGCL, composed of alginate, gellan gum, chitosan, and a glutaraldehyde crosslinking agent. When exposed to calcium ions present in blood, the powder rapidly transforms into an adhesive hydrogel within approximately one second.
This enables immediate blood absorption and sealing, with a reported blood uptake capacity of around 725% and tissue adhesion strength exceeding 40 kPa. Across multiple preclinical bleeding models, AGCL reduced blood loss and time to hemostasis more effectively than TachoSil, a widely used clinical comparator. Laboratory testing demonstrated low hemolytic activity, good cytocompatibility, and more than…
