Functionalized Multiarmed Polycaprolactones as Biocompatible Tissue Adhesives

• Published in: ACS applied materials & interfaces 2020-04, Vol.12 (15), p.17314-17320
• Main Authors: Zhang, Wei, Ji, Tianjiao, Lyon, Sophie, Mehta, Manisha, Zheng, Yueqin, Deng, Xiaoran, Liu, Andong, Shagan, Alona, Mizrahi, Boaz, Kohane, Daniel S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3T3 Cells; Animals; Biocompatible Materials - chemistry; Biocompatible Materials - pharmacology; Cell Survival - drug effects; Mice; Polyesters - chemistry; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Skin - pathology; Tissue Adhesives - chemistry; Tissue Adhesives - pharmacology; Wound Healing - drug effects
• ISSN: 1944-8244; 1944-8252
• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c03478

Existing tissue adhesives have a trade-off between adhesive strength and biocompatibility. Here, we report a series of biocompatible multiarmed polycaprolactones (PCL) as tissue adhesives that can be released from a hot glue gun and the length of each arm was kept at ∼2–3 kg mol–1 in all the polymers. The adhesion properties were dependent on the number of functionalized (N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (NHS), aldehyde (CHO), and isocyanate (NCO)) arms of the multiarmed polymers. The more arms, the higher the adhesion strength. For example, the adhesion strength in binding cut rat skin increased from 2.3 N cm–2 for 2PCL-NHS to 11.2 N cm–2 for 8-PCL-NHS. CHO- and NCO-modified 8PCL also had suitable adhesive properties. All the multiarmed polymers had minimal cytotoxicity in vitro and good biocompatibility in vivo, suggesting their potential as promising alternative surgical adhesives.