The currently used
hemostatic agents are highly effective in stopping
hemorrhages but have a limited role in the modulation of the wound-healing environment. Herein, we propose an intrinsically bioactive
hemostatic cryogel based on platelet lysate (PL) and
aldehyde-functionalized
cellulose nanocrystals (a-CNCs). PL has attracted great attention as an inexpensive milieu of therapeutically relevant
proteins; however, its application as a
hemostatic agent exhibits serious constraints (e.g., structural integrity and short shelf-life). The incorporation of a-CNCs reinforced the low-strength PL matrix by covalent cross-linking its
amine groups that exhibit an elastic interconnected porous network after full cryogelation. Upon blood immersion, the PL-CNC
cryogels absorbed higher volumes of blood at a faster rate than commercial
hemostatic porcine
gelatin sponges. Simultaneously, the
cryogels released biomolecules that increased stem cell proliferation, metabolic activity, and migration as well as downregulated the expression of markers of the fibrinolytic process. In an in vivo liver defect model, PL-CNC
cryogels showed similar
hemostatic performance in comparison with
gelatin sponges and normal material-induced tissue response upon subcutaneous implantation. Overall, owing to their structure and bioactive composition, the proposed PL-CNC
cryogels provide an alternative off-the-shelf
hemostatic and antibacterial
biomaterial with the potential to deliver therapeutically relevant
proteins in situ.