Production, Physico-Chemical and Biomedical Study of Hemostatic Powder Composition Based on Nanosized Silica

Blood loss is one of the main causes of death, especially in war and natural disasters. At the beginning of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war we established the laboratory and later the industrial production of a powdered topical hemostatic composition based on nanosilica which is intended for providing first pre-medical aid. The composition contains nanosized silica A-300 and sodium alginate as two active ingredients in a mass ratio of 4:1. The aim of the work was to develop the optimal technological process for the production of a hemostatic composition and carry out physico-chemical and medical-biological studies of semi-finished products and the final product. Bulk density measurements, optical microscopy, IR spectroscopy method and microbiological research were used to study the initial materials, intermediate products as well as the final product. The effectiveness of the hemostatic effect of the composition was checked on the model of parenchymal bleeding from the liver of a rat, using the time to stop bleeding (min) as a criterion. As a result of the research, a two-stage method of manufacturing the composition is proposed: at the first stage, certain parts of the initial materials are treated in a ball mill, obtaining the semi-finished product "A-300/sodium alginate"; at the second stage, this semi-finished product is mixed with nanosilica and sodium alginate, obtaining the final product. It is shown that the bulk density serves as a useful technological parameter to control of which helps to produce a structurally homogeneous final product. In the IR spectra of the semi-finished product and the finished product, only the absorption bands of silica and sodium alginate are observed, that is, foreign substances are not formed during technological process. The microbiological purity of the composition meets the pharmacopoeial requirements for drugs of this category. An experimental study of the topical hemostatic effect of the composition revealed its significant advantage compared to the inorganic hemostatic substance kaolin, which acts according to a similar adsorption mechanism.