An Antibacterial Hemostasis Sponge of Gelatin/ε-Poly-L-Lysine Composite

Massive bleeding and bacterial infection of wounds may be life-threatening or even lead to death. Nowadays, gelatin-based hemostatic sponges have been widely used, but gelatin is not antibacterial and has poor structural stability. In this study, we mixed an antibacterial polypeptide, epsilon-poly-L-lysine (EPL), into gelatin. A gelatin/epsilon-poly-L-lysine (Gel/EPL) sponge with hemostatic and antibacterial functions was prepared by ultraviolet (UV) crosslinking lyophilized Gel/EPL composite. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the sponge had an interconnected porous structure. The incorporation of EPL increased the hydrophilicity and water absorption capacity of the Gel/EPL sponge. The sponge had better structural stability after UV crosslinking. The antibacterial assay showed that bacteria could not grow normally around the Gel/EPL sponge. The contact between blood components and the sponge initiated coagulation via exogenous pathway activation, and no hemolysis occurred. In addition, in vivo experiments confirmed that the sponge has a faster clotting time and lower blood loss. These findings show that the developed Gel/EPL sponge has great potential as a novel hemostatic agent that can quickly stop bleeding and fight bacterial infections.