Catechol Derivative-Based Bioadhesives: Molecular Design for Precision Medical Adhesion

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Acute tissue injuries require advanced bioadhesives with strong wet adhesion, biocompatibility, and mechanical adaptability.
• Mussel-inspired catechol-based adhesives show promise, but molecular diversity's role in cohesion-adhesion is often overlooked.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a structurally tunable bioadhesive platform by modifying polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with DOPA-derived catechol derivatives.
• To investigate how side-chain length and substituents influence the adhesive and cohesive properties of these hydrogels.
• To evaluate the performance of the optimized bioadhesive in ex vivo and in vivo tissue models.

Main Methods:

• Grafting five DOPA-derived catechol derivatives onto PVA via esterification.
• Employing computational, spectroscopic, structural, and mechanical analyses to characterize hydrogel properties.
• Conducting ex vivo adhesion tests on various animal tissues and in vivo studies on hepatic defects and skin wounds.

Main Results:

• Side-chain length and substituents critically modulated hydrogel cohesion and adhesion.
• The PVA-CA system demonstrated superior cohesion and adhesion due to caffeic acid's extended side chain and conjugated double bond.
• PVA-CA hydrogel exhibited strong adhesion, biocompatibility, and enhanced tissue regeneration in both ex vivo and in vivo models.

Conclusions:

• A programmable molecular design strategy for next-generation wet-tissue adhesives has been established.
• The PVA-CA hydrogel represents a promising candidate for biomedical applications requiring robust wet adhesion and tissue repair.
• Structural tunability is key to optimizing bioadhesive performance for diverse tissue engineering challenges.