title: Micro- and Nanostructured Biomaterials for Sutureless Tissue Repair.
abstract: Sutureless procedures for wound repair and closure have recently integrated nanostructured devices to improve their effectiveness and clinical outcome. This review highlights the major advances in gecko-inspired bioadhesives that relies mostly on van der Waals bonding forces. These are challenged by the moist environment of surgical settings that weaken adherence to tissue. The incorporation of nanoparticles in biomatrices and their role in tissue repair and drug delivery is also reviewed with an emphasis on procedures involving adhesives that are laser-activated. Nanostructured adhesive devices have the advantage of being minimally invasive to tissue, can seal wounds, and deliver drugs in situ. All these tasks are very difficult to accomplish by sutures or staples that are invasive to host organs and often cause scarring.
authors.affiliation: School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia.
authors.forename: Samuel J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Frost
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK.|School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mawad
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hook
authors.affiliation: School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia.|The Biomedical Engineering and Neuroscience (BENS) Research Group, The MARCS Institute, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lauto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D023421:Models, Animal; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D013537:Sutures; D014014:Tissue Adhesives / Q000737:chemistry*; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D014014:Tissue Adhesives
keywords: bioadhesives; geckos; nanoparticles; nanophotonics; wound closure