In-vitro and in-vivo evaluation of hemostatic potential of decellularized ECM hydrogels

Extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogels with a porous microstructure and good swelling behavior were fabricated via lyophilization and cross-linked with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC). Platelet adhesion studies revealed that platelets easily adhered to hydrogels while coagulation studies showed rapid blood aggregate formation. In-vitro cytotoxicity studies showed ECM hydrogels are biocompatible. In-vivo studies using rat tail bleeding and rabbit arterial injury showed ECM hydrogels' ability in hemostasis. ECM hydrogels formed a physical barrier and activated platelets that resulted in rapid thrombin formation during in-vivo application. The present study revealed ECM hydrogels could be a potential biomaterial for hemostat application.