title: Tunicate-mimetic nanofibrous hydrogel adhesive with improved wet adhesion.
abstract: The main impediment to medical application of biomaterial-based adhesives is their poor wet adhesion strength due to hydration-induced softening and dissolution. To solve this problem, we mimicked the wound healing process found in tunicates, which use a nanofiber structure and pyrogallol group to heal any damage on its tunic under sea water. We fabricated a tunicate-mimetic hydrogel adhesive based on a chitin nanofiber/gallic acid (a pyrogallol acid) composite. The pyrogallol group-mediated cross-linking and the nanofibrous structures improved the dissolution resistance and cohesion strength of the hydrogel compared to the amorphous polymeric hydrogels in wet condition. The tunicate-mimetic adhesives showed higher adhesion strength between fully hydrated skin tissues than did fibrin glue and mussel-mimetic adhesives. The tunicate mimetic hydrogels were produced at low cost from recyclable and abundant raw materials. This tunicate-mimetic adhesive system is an example of how natural materials can be engineered for biomedical applications.
authors.affiliation: Ocean Science and Technology Institute, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 790-784, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dongyeop X
authors.initials: DX
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 790-784, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sangsik
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Ocean Science and Technology Institute, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 790-784, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dohoon
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Ocean Science and Technology Institute, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 790-784, Republic of Korea; School of Environmental Science, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 790-784, Republic of Korea; Division of Integrative Biosciences and Biotechnology, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 790-784, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: dshwang@postech.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Dong Soo
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D000268:Adhesiveness / Q000187:drug effects; D000269:Adhesives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D040761:Biomimetic Materials; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002686:Chitin / Q000494:pharmacology; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000737:chemistry; D005782:Gels; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D061848:Optical Imaging; D011748:Pyrogallol / Q000737:chemistry; D012212:Rheology / Q000187:drug effects; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D034421:Sus scrofa; D014561:Urochordata / Q000737:chemistry*; D017155:Wettability; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D000269:Adhesives; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D005782:Gels; D011748:Pyrogallol; D002686:Chitin; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate
keywords: Chitin nanofibers; Nanofibrous hydrogels; Pyrogallol; Tunicates; Underwater adhesives