Rapid hemostasis by nanofibers of polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate/polyglycerol sebacic acid: An in vitro/in vivo study

Abstract

Porous nanofibers were prepared from a combination of polyglycerol sebacate (PGS) and polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate (PHEMA) and loaded with tranexamic acid (TA) using the electrospinning method. The nanofibers were optimized for their morphology, diameter size, porosity, TA loading, release profile and mechanical behavior. Their cytotoxicity was studied based on 3-4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay on L929 cells. The hemostasis control on a tail-cut model in rats was investigated. The best formulation contained 35% of the total polymers, 20% PGS and 10% TA in proportion to the total polymer quantity. These nanofibers had 64% porosity, 8.59% water sorption and 1.47% weight loss after 28 days with no cytotoxicity on the L929 cells. TA loaded nanofibers showed significantly less bleeding volume compared to the other groups, but no significant difference in bleeding time was seen with the blank nanofibers. In other words, the blank nanofibers alone had a hemostatic effect. TA loaded nanofibers were effective in bleeding control and hemorrhagic situations by reducing bleeding time and volume.