Liquid Bandage Harvests Robust Adhesive, Hemostatic, and Antibacterial Performances as a First-Aid Tissue Adhesive

Massive bleeding and wound infection after tissue trauma are the major dangerous factors of casualties in disasters; hence, first-aid supplies that can greatly achieve wound closure and effectively control the hemorrhage and infection are urgently needed. Although existing tissue adhesives can adhere to the tissue surfaces and achieve rapid wound closure, most of them have limited hemostatic and antibacterial capacities, making them unsuitable as the first-aid tissue adhesives. In this study, inspired by the inherent hemostatic and antibacterial capacities of chitosan and the excellent tissue integration capacity originating from a Schiff base reaction, liquid bandage (LBA), an in situ imine crosslinking-based photoresponsive chitosan hydrogel (NB-CMC/CMC hydrogel), is developed for emergency wound management. Upon UV irradiation, o-nitrobenzene in modified carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) converts to o-nitrosobenzaldehyde that subsequently crosslinks with amino groups on tissue surface, which endows the LBA with superior tissue adhesive performance. LBA's hemostatic and antibacterial properties can be tuned by the mass ratio of NB-CMC/CMC. Moreover, it exhibits satisfactory biocompatibility, biodegradability, and the capability to enhance wound healing process. This study sheds new light on the development of a multifunctional hydrogel-based first-aid tissue adhesive that can achieve robust tissue adhesion, effectively control bleeding, prevent bacterial infection, and promote wound healing.