Programmable tissue-adhesive hydrogels with temporal and spatial selectivity

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Tissue-adhesive hydrogels (TAHs) are crucial for biomedical applications, requiring sophisticated design strategies.
• Challenges include dynamic wet environments, controlled adhesion, and interfacial interactions in vivo.
• Universal solutions are insufficient; customized frameworks integrating multi-scale engineering are necessary.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in tissue-adhesive hydrogels (TAHs).
• To identify key challenges hindering the clinical translation of TAHs.
• To propose future research directions for TAH development and application.

Main Methods:

• Review of multi-scale design principles for hydrogel adhesion.
• Analysis of microscale physical/chemical interactions.
• Examination of molecular-scale modifications (hydrophobic segments, topological entanglements) and macroscale structural patterning.

Main Results:

• TAHs have evolved from simple adhesion enhancers to multifunctional bioactive systems.
• Multi-scale design principles systematically optimize hydrogel adhesion.
• Advancements integrate polymer science, materials science, and biomedical engineering.

Conclusions:

• Rational design of TAHs enables programmable, multi-dimensional adhesion.
• Overcoming clinical translation barriers is essential for practical biomedical use.
• Bridging fundamental research with clinical application is a key future direction.