Cyanoacrylate polymeric films with the potential to be used as medicinal glues

The study aimed to evaluate and compare the polymerization behavior, stability, and adhesive strength of different cyanoacrylate adhesives, primarily 2-octylcyanoacrylate, with commercially available products such as POLYfix and Fevi kwik.

Polymerization of the selected cyanoacrylate adhesives was studied on both plastic surfaces and pig skin. The polymerized products were further analyzed for stability in solid and solution states. Cyanoacrylate polymeric films were prepared using different fillers and characterized for mechanical strength. Adhesive strength was quantitatively evaluated via a pig skin peeling test to measure the force required to separate bonded tissues.

Poly(octyl cyanoacrylate) achieved the highest molecular weight (2,708,175 daltons) after 1hour of polymerization on plastic and 10,18,253 daltons after 12hours on pig skin. In contrast, Fevi kwik showed a much higher molecular weight (1,40,96,478 daltons) at the start of polymerization on plastic and 1,40,19,600 daltons after 48hours on pig skin. Both poly(octyl cyanoacrylate) and poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) were found to be stable in both solid and solution forms. The incorporation of fillers did not cause significant variation in the breaking force of the polymeric films. The peeling test indicated that octyl cyanoacrylate provided stronger bonding between pig skin samples than Fevi kwik.

2-octylcyanoacrylate demonstrated favorable polymerization characteristics, stability, and superior adhesive strength compared to commercial cyanoacrylates, suggesting its potential suitability for biomedical applications, particularly in skin wound closure.