Construction of robust bacterial cellulose/fibrin patches for rapid hemostasis

Excessive and uncontrolled hemorrhaging is a leading cause of substantial complications and even mortality, highlighting a critical need for effective hemostatic materials. However, significant challenges persist concerning the hemostatic efficiency and mechanical properties of materials, particularly in acute massive bleeding situations. Herein, we synthesized porous bacterial cellulose/fibrin (PBC/Fb) patches with high strength and rapid hemostatic capability via a green and facile method (biological fermentation, lyophilization, solution bath, in situ thrombin-triggered polymerization and second lyophilization). This was realized by the compact and robust structure of PBC/Fb patches constructed via in situ polymerization of high-density fibrin within PBC scaffold. The integration spatially confined fibrin assembly through intermolecular hydrogen bonding, remodeling fibrin structure toward an elevated β-sheet content, thereby improving exposure of platelet-binding sites. Experimental results demonstrated that PBC/Fb patches with a fibrin concentration of 10 mg/mL (PBC/Fb10) exhibited an excellent tensile strength of 6.05 ± 2.65 MPa and simultaneously achieved rapid hemostasis both in liver oozing (15.0 ± 1.4 s) and femoral artery high-pressure (72.2 ± 11.0 s) bleeding models, making them promising candidates for clinical hemostatic applications.