A Strong Adhesive Biological Hydrogel for Colon Leakage Repair and Abdominal Adhesion Prevention

Colon leakage is one of the most severe complications in abdominal trauma or surgery cases. It can lead to severe abdominal infection and abdominal adhesions, resulting in prolonged hospital stays and increased mortality. In this study, a photosensitive hydrogel is proposed, which can swiftly form a strong adhesion coating on the damaged colon after UV irradiation, to realize quick cure and suture-free repair of colon leakage. The newly developed biological gel consists of hyaluronic acid methacryloyl (HAMA) and hyaluronic acid o-nitroso benzaldehyde (HANB) in the optimal ratio of 3: 1, which exerts both the rapid photocuring properties of HAMA and the strong tissue adhesion properties of HANB. HAMA/HANB shows excellent adhesion stability on wet surfaces, presenting controllable mechanical properties, ductility, adhesion stability, and chemical stability; it also evades foreign body response, which relieves the degree of abdominal adhesion. The underlying mechanism for HAMA/HANB promoting wound healing in colon leakage involves the reconstruction of the colon barrier, as well as the regulation of the immune reaction and neovascularization. In all, HAMA/HANB is a promising alternative suture-free approach for repairing colon leakage; it has a reliable healing effect and is expected to be extended to clinical application for other organ injuries.