Biocompatible nanostructured solid adhesives for biological soft tissues

Publication date: Available online 5 May 2017
Source:Acta Biomaterialia
Author(s): Masahiro Okada, Akira Nakai, Emilio Satoshi Hara, Tetsushi Taguchi, Takayoshi Nakano, Takuya Matsumoto
Over the past few years, the development of novel adhesives for biological soft tissue adhesion has gained significant interest. Such adhesives should be non-toxic and biocompatible. In this study, we synthesized a novel solid adhesive using nanostructured hydroxyapatite (HAp) and evaluated its physical adhesion properties through in vitro testing with synthetic hydrogels and mice soft tissues. The results revealed that the HAp-nanoparticle dispersions and HAp-nanoparticle-assembled nanoporous plates showed efficient adhesion to the hydrogels. Interestingly, the HAp plates showed different adhesive properties depending upon the shape of their nanoparticles. The HAp plate made up of 17 nm-sized nanoparticles showed an adhesive strength 2.2 times higher than the conventional fibrin glue for mice skin tissues.Statement of SignificanceThe present study indicates a new application of inorganic biomaterials (bioceramics) as a soft tissue adhesive.Organic adhesives such as fibrin glues or cyanoacrylate derivatives have been commonly used clinically. However, their limited biocompatibility or low adhesion strength are some drawbacks that impair their clinical application. In this study, we synthesized a novel solid adhesive with biocompatible and biodegradable hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles without the aid of organic molecules, and showed an immediate and superior (i.e., 2.2 times higher) adhesion strength of mouse soft tissues compared to conventional fibrin glues. Given the importance of wet adhesion to biomedicine and biotechnology, our results suggest ways to develop new soft tissue adhesives as well as new applications of inorganic biomaterials.

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