Procoagulant and Antimicrobial Effects of Chitosan in Wound Healing

Abstract

Chitosan, a polysaccharide derived from chitin, has excellent wound healing properties, including intrinsic antimicrobial and hemostatic activities. This study investigated the effectiveness of chitosan dressing and compared it with that of regular gauze dressing in controlling clinically surgical bleeding wounds and profiled the community structure of the microbiota affected by these treatments. The dressings were evaluated based on biocompatibility, blood coagulation factors in rat, as well as antimicrobial and procoagulant activities, and the microbial phylogenetic profile in patients with abdominal surgical wounds. The chitosan dressing exhibited a uniformly fibrous morphology with a large surface area and good biocompatibility. Compared to regular gauze dressing, the chitosan dressing accelerated platelet aggregation, indicated by the lower ratio of prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time, and had outstanding blood absorption ability. Adenosine triphosphate assay results revealed that the chitosan dressing inhibited bacterial growth up to 8 d post-surgery. Moreover, 16S rRNA-based sequencing revealed that the chitosan dressing effectively protected the wound from microbial infection and promoted the growth of probiotic microbes, thereby improving skin immunity and promoting wound healing. Our findings suggest that chitosan dressing is an effective antimicrobial and procoagulant and promotes wound repair by providing a suitable environment for beneficial microbiota.

Hemostasis and Anti-Inflammatory Abilities of AuNPs-Coated Chitosan Dressing for Burn Wounds

“…Our results demonstrated the potential of chitosan-based dressing as a burn therapeutic. Based on our previous study [ 24 ], a porcine femoral artery hemorrhage model was used to examine the hemostatic ability ( Figure 2 B) of the developed chitosan dressing, with a superior time to cessation of bleeding. Chitosan has positively charged amino groups along its molecular chains, along with cationic moieties such as NH 3+ that form metal cation–chitosan complexes, promoting hemostasis [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Applications of Chitosan in Surgical and Post-Surgical Materials

“…Moreover, this device also serves as an inhibitor of microbial proliferation (Figure 7) [167]. The advantages of chitosan dressings compared to traditional cotton surgical gauzes have been verified by different authors, the antimicrobial and procoagulant characteristics of chitosan being the ones that give this material promising properties for its use as a first-line dressing in the management of surgical hemorrhages [168]. Another study evaluated the efficacy of chitosan-based dressings in controlling hemostasis after dental extractions in patients receiving oral antithrombotic therapy.…”

Application of Chitosan and Its Derivative Polymers in Clinical Medicine and Agriculture

“…Positively charged chitosan can promote erythrocyte adhesion, fibrinogen adsorption, accelerate platelet aggregation and activation, and exhibit good hemostatic properties [ 50 ]. At the same time, chitosan presents good antibacterial activity due to its large amount of alkaline amino groups, which generally exhibit a cationic charge under acidic conditions, causing lysis and destruction of bacterial cells and protecting the wound surface from microbial infection [ 51 ]. Therefore, chitosan has good properties to promote wound healing and is an ideal material for the preparation of wound dressings.…”