Gelatin, as a common
hemostatic agent, has been processed into a variety of forms for clinical applications. To enhance wound healing and reduce postoperative complications after liver
trauma or surgery, naturally-derived materials can be incorporated into
gelatin to improve its physical and
biological properties. In this study, we developed an extracellular matrix (ECM) enriched
gelatin (EG) sponge through combining liver ECM digestion and
gelatin at different proportions. By increasing the
gelatin concentration, the EG sponge exhibited reduced porous structure, lower water absorption rate, superior degradation resistant, and higher elastic modulus, whereas, by increasing the ECM concentration, the porous structure and swelling ratio of the EG sponge were significantly improved. We tested the in vivo response of EG sponge for liver parenchyma
wound repair as compared with the ECM-only or
gelatin-only sponges. Liver
wound repaired with the
gelatin-only sponge exhibited a severe
inflammation and
tissue adhesion. In contrast, both ECM-only and EG sponges repaired liver
wound showed desired biocompatibility as evidenced by a smooth liver surface, reduced
wound size, earlier material absorption, and accelerated liver regeneration. In conclusion, the properly designed EG sponge is a more effective and safer topical
hemostatic agent than the traditional
gelatin sponge for repairing liver injury.