carbonate microparticle
in acidic solution
Image by James Baylis
Researchers say they’ve created self-propelled particles that can travel against the flow of blood to treat severe bleeding.
These calcium carbonate microparticles, which are applied as a powder, release carbon dioxide gas to propel them toward the source of bleeding.
They can be loaded with thrombin and transport the clotting protein through wounds and into damaged tissue in animals.
The researchers described the particles in Science Advances.
“People have developed hundreds of agents that can clot blood, but the issue is that it’s hard to push these therapies against severe blood flow, especially far enough upstream to reach the leaking vessels,” said study author Christian Kastrup, PhD, of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
“Here, for the first time, we’ve come up with an agent that can do that.”
After studying and modeling the movement of their microparticles in vitro, the researchers loaded the particles with thrombin and tested them in mouse and pig models of hemorrhage.
The particles helped clot blood and stopped hemorrhaging in both models. In fact, the gas-generating, thrombin-loaded particles stopped bleeding better than topical thrombin or thrombin-loaded particles that did not produce gas.
The researchers believe that, after more testing and development, their microparticles could have a wide range of uses. And they would be particularly useful for treating bleeding that originates internally, such as in the uterus, sinus, gastrointestinal tract, or abdomen, where traditional topical drugs are less effective.
“The area we’re really focusing on is postpartum hemorrhage: in the uterus, after childbirth, where you can’t see the damaged vessels but you can put the powder into that area and the particles can propel and find those damaged vessels,” Dr Kastrup said.
The researchers also believe the microparticles could be used to deliver a range of therapeutics to wound and hemorrhage sites.
