Summary
Chitosan is an appealing hemostatic biopolymer with good biocompatibility, but its slow degradation can hold back wound repair. This study set out to shorten the biodegradation time of chitosan-based hemostatic materials and to assess the biocompatibility, hemostatic and tissue-regeneration performance of a chitosan–poly(ethylene oxide) (Ch-PEO) copolymer produced by electrospinning. Highly porous chitosan electrospun membranes (ChEsM) were made from chitosan and poly(ethylene oxide) powders and compared against a conventional chitosan sponge (ChSp). The team characterised structure, porosity, density, antibacterial activity, in vitro degradation and biocompatibility. In vitro, both materials showed good biocompatibility and hemostatic efficacy, although the electrospun membrane was less antibacterial than the sponge; in vivo, the electrospun membranes showed superior biocompatibility, satisfactory hemostasis and close integration with host tissue. The results support electrospun Ch-PEO membranes as promising, faster-resorbing hemostatic and tissue-regeneration materials.