Biodegradable Nanoparticles Enhanced Adhesiveness of Mussel-Like Hydrogels at Tissue Interface

Popular bioadhesives, such as fibrin, cyanoacrylate, and albumin–glutaraldehyde based materials, have been applied for clinical applications in wound healing, drug delivery, and bone and soft tissue engineering; however, their performances are limited by weak adhesion strength and rapid degradation. In this study a mussel-inspired, nanocomposite-based, biodegradable tissue adhesive is developed by blending poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) or N-hydroxysuccinimide modified PLGA nanoparticles (PLGA-NHS) with mussel-inspired alginate–dopamine polymer (Alg-Dopa). Adhesive strength measurement of the nanocomposites on porcine skin–muscle constructs reveals that the incorporation of nanoparticles in Alg-Dopa significantly enhances the tissue adhesive strength compared to the mussel-inspired adhesive alone. The nanocomposite formed by PLGA-NHS nanoparticles shows higher lap shear strength of 33 ± 3 kPa, compared to that of Alg-Dopa hydrogel alone (14 ± 2 kPa). In addition, these nanocomposites are degradable and cytocompatible in vitro, and elicit in vivo minimal inflammatory responses in a rat model, suggesting clinical potential of these nanocomposites as bioadhesives.