A Chitosan-Containing Dual-Crosslinked Resilient Patch for Tissue Adhesive and Sealant

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Adhesive patches are crucial for biomedical applications like tissue adhesion and sealing surgical leaks.
• Current limitations include poor adhesion to wet tissues and lack of mechanical customization, increasing surgical risks.
• Chitosan-based materials offer potential but require optimized formulations for enhanced performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel chitosan-containing bioadhesive patch (ANC) with enhanced adhesion to wet tissues and tunable mechanical properties.
• To evaluate the adhesion strength, sealing performance, and mechanical adaptability of the developed ANC patch.
• To compare the efficacy of the ANC patch against commercially available fibrin glue for sealing stomach fluid leakage.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a dual-crosslinked bioadhesive patch using carboxymethyl chitosan methacrylate (CMCS-MA), acrylic acid, and N-hydroxysuccinimide ester.
• Characterization of the patch's adhesion to wet tissue surfaces, focusing on moisture removal and bonding mechanisms (hydrogen bonding, NHS-amine interaction).
• Assessment of mechanical properties and swelling behavior, with performance comparison against fibrin glue using stomach fluid leakage model.

Main Results:

• The ANC patch demonstrated rapid moisture removal from tissue surfaces, enabling robust adhesion.
• Tunable mechanical performance and swelling behavior were achieved by adjusting CMCS-MA content.
• ANC patches exhibited superior adhesion and sealing performance compared to fibrin glue in simulated stomach fluid leakage tests.

Conclusions:

• The developed dual-crosslinked ANC patch effectively addresses the limitations of current tissue adhesives for wet environments.
• This bioadhesive patch offers a promising alternative for tissue adhesion and leakage sealing in surgical procedures.
• The design broadens the application scope of chitosan-based materials in advanced biomedical engineering.