The researchers, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, and the University of Hong Kong, China, accidentally discovered the phenomenon while investigating whether peptide solutions can create a self-assembled scaffold for the regrowth of nerve fibres in the brain (see Nanofibres help nerves in brain regrow).
The peptide solution was able to stop bleeding of wounds in the brain, spinal cord, femoral artery, liver or skin of mammals.
The team is not yet sure exactly how the nanofibre barrier works. The process acts too fast for clotting to be the explanation - clots typically take 1–2 min to form. The scientists also did not see platelet aggregation at the interface of the material and wound site.
"It is a completely new way to stop bleeding," said Rutledge Ellis-Behnke of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Whether it produces a physical barrier is unclear at this time."
The material did not damage surrounding cells or create an immune response. What's more, the nanofibre barrier breaks down to amino acids, which the body is able to use as part of the tissue repair process. The peptide solution is potentially suitable for use in wet, uncontrolled environments such as accident sites or battlefields, and it doesn't contain any animal- or human-derived agents that may be a source of biological contaminants.
The researchers say that they were unable to find prion-like substances or fibril tangles in animals who had the material implanted in the brain for up to six months.
Other techniques to stop bleeding involve either heat, pressure or chemical agents to promote clotting or constrict blood vessels. But to be fully successful they may require complicated equipment, dry environments, or materials with a short shelf life. The methods may also cause an immune response that kills adjacent cells or cause swelling that can restrict blood supply to nearby areas.
The technique has yet to be trialled in humans.
The researchers reported their work in Nanomedicine.