Addressing the Shortcomings of Polyphenol-Derived Adhesives: Achievement of Long Shelf Life for Effective Hemostasis

For rapid and effective hemostasis of uncontrollable bleeding, versatile hemostatic agents have been emerging. Among them, polyphenol-derived adhesives have attracted those hemostatic materials due to instantaneous formation of sticky barriers by robust interactions between the material and the serum proteins from wound. However, a critical challenge in such phenolic materials lies in long-term storage due to spontaneous oxidation under humid environments, leading to changes in hemostatic capability and adhesive strength. Here, we report a transparent hemostatic film consisting of gallol-conjugated chitosan (CHI-G) for minimizing the phenolic oxidation even for 3 months and maintaining strong tissue adhesiveness and its hemostatic ability. The film undergoes a phase transition from solid to injectable hydrogels at physiological pH for efficiently stopping internal and external hemorrhage. Interestingly, the hemostatic capability of the CHI-G hydrogels after 3 month storage depends on (i) the folded microstructure of the polymer with optimal gallol modification and (ii) an initial phase of either a solution state or a solid film. When the hydrogels are originated from the dehydrated film, their successful hemostasis is observed in a liver bleeding model. Our finding would provide an insight for design rationale of hemostatic formulations with long shelf-life.