Chitosan/κ-Carrageenan/Carbon Nitride Hydrogel Adsorbent for Removing Free Hemoglobin from Extracorporeal Circulation

• Published in: Langmuir Vol. 41; no. 13; pp. 8657 - 8672
• Main Authors: Zhao, Liang, Yang, Tuo, Li, Wentao, Zhang, Xuewei, Shi, Qizhong, Feng, Xin, Wang, Yameng, Li, Xiafei, Li, Wenbin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 08.04.2025
• Subjects: adsorbents; Adsorption; Animals; biocompatibility; blood circulation; carbon nitride; Carrageenan - chemistry; Chitosan - chemistry; complement; electrostatic interactions; erythrocytes; Extracorporeal Circulation; hemoglobin; Hemoglobins - chemistry; Hemoglobins - isolation & purification; hemolysis; Hemolysis - drug effects; Humans; hydrogels; Hydrogels - chemistry; mechanical damage; Nitriles - chemistry; polysaccharides; Rabbits
• ISSN: 0743-7463; 1520-5827; 1520-5827
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c05137

Extracorporeal circulation often causes mechanical damage to erythrocytes, which release hemoglobin into the plasma, resulting in postsurgical hazard, so lowering the free hemoglobin (f-Hb) level in the blood is important. In this study, based on the good biocompatibility of chitosan/κ-carrageenan and the adsorption effect of carbon nitride, a chitosan/κ-carrageenan/carbon nitride (CS/κ-Car/C3N4) hydrogel was prepared through the charge electrostatic interaction between polysaccharides. The incorporation of C3N4 enhanced both the adsorptive capacity and the stability of the hydrogel. Specifically, the CS/κ-Car/C3N4-0.4% hydrogel exhibited an adsorption amount of 185.79 mg/g for human hemoglobin, approximately twice that of the CS/κ-Car hydrogel. The CS/κ-Car/C3N4 hydrogel also showed a significantly lower breakage and degradation rate. In addition, the CS/κ-Car/C3N4 hydrogel did not induce hemolysis, complement activation, or coagulate when in contact with blood and showed good blood compatibility. Furthermore, in vivo studies in rabbits revealed that the CS/κ-Car/C3N4 hydrogel significantly reduced elevated f-Hb levels to near-normal concentrations postcirculation, without inducing any severe adverse effects on the subjects. This investigation has elucidated that the CS/κ-Car/C3N4 hydrogel possesses superior adsorptive efficacy and biocompatibility, effectively clearing f-Hb in vivo. Consequently, the findings of this study offer novel insights into the design paradigm for adsorbents intended for blood circulation applications.