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Fabrication and Application of Rose Bengal-chitosan Films in Laser Tissue Repair
Published on: October 23, 2012
Photochemical tissue bonding with chitosan adhesive films
Antonio Lauto1, Damia Mawad, Matthew Barton
1School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, NSW, Australia. a.lauto@uws.edu.au
Biomedical Engineering Online
|September 10, 2010
Summary
This study introduces a new laser-activated chitosan adhesive using rose bengal for sutureless tissue repair. The biocompatible material effectively bonds tissue with minimal heat, showing promise for wound healing applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Laser-Assisted Procedures
Background:
- Photochemical tissue bonding (PTB) offers a sutureless method for tissue repair.
- Rose bengal (RB) and green laser irradiation facilitate collagen crosslinking with low heat.
- Chitosan-based films incorporating RB were developed as a novel laser-activated tissue adhesive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a novel chitosan-based tissue adhesive activated by a laser.
- To assess the bonding strength and thermal properties of the RB-chitosan adhesive.
- To determine the biocompatibility of the adhesive for tissue repair.
Main Methods:
- Chitosan films with approximately 0.1 wt% rose bengal were fabricated.
- Calf intestine was bonded using these films and a 532 nm solid-state laser (110 J/cm2).
- Bonding strength was measured using a tensiometer, temperature by thermocouples, and cell viability with human fibroblasts.
Main Results:
- The RB-chitosan adhesive achieved a significant bonding strength of 15 ± 2 kPa, compared to 0.5 ± 0.1 kPa without laser activation.
- Laser irradiation caused a minimal temperature increase at the interface, from 26°C to 32°C.
- Human fibroblasts cultured on the adhesive showed confluent growth without morphological alterations, indicating good biocompatibility.
Conclusions:
- A novel, biocompatible chitosan adhesive has been successfully developed for photochemical tissue bonding.
- The laser-activated adhesive demonstrates effective tissue bonding with minimal thermal effects.
- This technology holds potential for advanced sutureless wound repair applications.
