High Performance Marine and Terrestrial Bioadhesives and the Biomedical Applications They Have Inspired

Abstract

This study has reviewed the naturally occurring bioadhesives produced in marine and freshwater aqueous environments and in the mucinous exudates of some terrestrial animals which have remarkable properties providing adhesion under difficult environmental conditions. These bioadhesives have inspired the development of medical bioadhesives with impressive properties that provide an effective alternative to suturing surgical wounds improving closure and healing of wounds in technically demanding tissues such as the heart, lung and soft tissues like the brain and intestinal mucosa. The Gecko has developed a dry-adhesive system of exceptional performance and has inspired the development of new generation re-usable tapes applicable to many medical procedures. The silk of spider webs has been equally inspiring to structural engineers and materials scientists and has revealed innovative properties which have led to new generation technologies in photonics, phononics and micro-electronics in the development of wearable biosensors. Man made products designed to emulate the performance of these natural bioadhesive molecules are improving wound closure and healing of problematic lesions such as diabetic foot ulcers which are notoriously painful and have also found application in many other areas in biomedicine. Armed with information on the mechanistic properties of these impressive biomolecules major advances are expected in biomedicine, micro-electronics, photonics, materials science, artificial intelligence and robotics technology.

Amyloid, a Jekyll and Hyde Molecule Inducing Neuronal Decline and Cognitive Dysfunction is Also a Unique Molecular Template used in Nano-electronics, Light Capture Photovoltaics, and Biosensors in Neuromorphic Computing.

“…Amyloid fibrils are also found as components in marine bioadhesives such as those which provide adhesion of barnacles and mussels to substrata. These have powerful adhesive properties that have inspired the development of tissue adhesives of potential application in highly specialized surgical procedures [157]. The unique architectural assembly processes and exceptional mechanical strength of amyloid fibrils makes these structures of interest in innovative applications in organic microcircuitry in nano-electronics, in the development of actuators, molecular switches, memristors and microcomputing [158][159][160][161][162][163][164][165][166][167].…”

“…Such polymers in barnacles and mussels have been de-engineered and new polymers created, inspiring the development of a new generation of high-performance surgical adhesives. These may obviate the need for sutures in demanding surgical procedures in very soft tissues where sutures may not hold adequately and may be a potential site where tearing of suture sites can increase the likelihood of microbial infection [157,211,212]. Surgical bioadhesives based on amyloid are non-immunogenic and may obviate the need for sutures altogether, providing improved healing responses in cardiac surgery and can even be used directly on the beating heart where their rapid, exceptional tissue adhesive properties are an important innovative surgical application [213].…”

Supercapacitor Performance of Magnetite Nanoparticles Enhanced by a Catecholate Dispersant: Experiment and Theory

“…Surface modification of materials using molecules from the catechol family is emerging as a new area of technological and scientific interest [ 1 , 2 ]. Catecholate molecules can achieve extremely strong adhesion to inorganic surfaces by utilizing a similar adsorption mechanism to that of mussel proteins when bonded to different surfaces [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Very fast and very strong adsorption to various inorganic substrates is a necessity for mussels to avoid damage by sea waves.…”

Utilizing Robust Design to Optimize Composite Bioadhesive for Promoting Dermal Wound Repair

“…As such, tuning the ROS release from a bioadhesive is necessary to promoting rapid dermal wound healing. Catechol-modified bioadhesives have been widely adopted as biomaterials for various applications, ranging from soft tissue repair to tissue engineering [14][15][16][17]. Catechol mimics the crosslinking and interfacial bonding chemistry of the amino acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl alanine (DOPA), which is the main adhesive molecule found in mussel adhesive proteins.…”