The adhesive could be used for removable hydrogel pads that help regenerate skin or as a reversible superglue for repeated operations.
In recent decades bioadhesives, tissue sealants and hemostatic agents became the favored products to control bleeding and promote tissue healing after surgery.
"To solve this medical problem, we looked at nature," said Jian Yang, associate professor of bioengineering at Penn State.
Yang, along with University of Texas-Arlington researchers Mohammadreza Mehdizadeh, Hong Weng, Dipendra Gyawali and Liping Tang, took the biological information and developed a wholly synthetic family of adhesives.
They incorporated the chemical structure from the mussel's adhesive protein into the design of an injectable synthetic polymer. The bioadhesives, called iCMBAs, adhere well in wet environments, have controlled degradability, improved biocompatibility and lower manufacturing costs, putting them a step above current products such as fibrin glue and cyanoacrylate adhesives, the 'Science Daily' reported.
The iCMBAs provided 2.5 to 8.0 times stronger adhesion in wet tissue conditions compared to fibrin glue. They also stopped bleeding instantly, facilitated wound healing, closed wounds without the use of sutures and offered controllable degradation.
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The iCMBAs are also non-toxic, and because they are fully synthetic, they are unlikely to cause allergic reactions. Side effects were limited to mild inflammation.
"If you put any synthetic materials into your body, it will generate some inflammation," said Yang.
The researchers are now working on improving the formula.
"We are still optimising our formulation," said Yang. "We are still trying to make the adhesion strength even stronger" to expand its use for things like broken bones where strong adhesion is tremendously important.
The researchers are also looking at adding in components that could control infection.
The iCMBAs could eventually be used in a wide range of surgical disciplines from suture and staple replacement to tissue grafts to treat hernias, ulcers and burns.
"There are so many applications that you can use this glue for to help in surgery," said Yang.