LAUSR

Multifunctional tissue adhesives with excellent adhesion, anti-bleeding, anti-infection, and wound healing properties are desperately needed in clinical surgery. However, the successful development of multifunctional tissue adhesives that simultaneously possess all these properties remains a challenge. We have prepared a novel chitosan-based hydrogel adhesive by integration of hydrocaffeic acid-modified chitosan (CS-HA) with hydrophobically modified chitosan lactate (hmCS lactate), and characterized its gelation time, mechanical properties, and microstructure. Tissue adhesion properties were evaluated using both pigskin and intestine models. In situ anti-bleeding efficacy was demonstrated via the rat hemorrhaging liver, and full-thickness wound closure models. Good antibacterial activity and anti-infection capability towards S. aureus and P. aeruginosa were confirmed using in vitro contact-killing assays, and an infected pigskin model. The result of co-culturing with 3T3 fibroblast cells indicated that the hydrogels have no significant cytotoxicity. Most importantly, biocompatible and biodegradable CS-HA/hmCS lactate hydrogel was able to close wound in a sutureless way and promote wound healing. Our results demonstrate that this hydrogel has great promise for sutureless closure of surgical incisions.