Improving the adhesion, flexibility, and hemostatic efficacy of a sprayable polymer blend surgical sealant by incorporating silica particles

Abstract

Commercially available surgical sealants for internal use either lack sufficient adhesion or produce cytotoxicity. This work describes a surgical sealant based on a polymer blend of poly(lactic-coglycolic acid) (PLGA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) that increases wet tissue adherence by incorporation of nano-to-microscale silica particles, without significantly affecting cell viability, biodegradation rate, or local inflammation. In functional studies, PLGA/PEG/silica composite sealants produce intestinal burst pressures that are comparable to cyanoacrylate glue (160 mmHg), ~2 times greater than the non-composite sealant (59 mmHg), and ~3 times greater than fibrin glue (49 mmHg). The addition of silica to PLGA/PEG is compatible with a sprayable in situ deposition method called solution blow spinning and decreases coagulation time in vitro and in vivo. These improvements are biocompatible and cause minimal additional inflammation, demonstrating the potential of a simple composite design to increase adhesion to wet tissue through physical, noncovalent mechanisms and enable use in procedures requiring simultaneous occlusion and hemostasis.

Pressure-Sensitive Tissue Adhesion and Biodegradation of Viscoelastic Polymer Blends

“…To determine the potential immune response to the fast-degrading components of the PSTA, we employed an intraperitoneal space implantation mouse model that can be used to evaluate fibrosis. , Surprisingly, PSTAs composed exclusively of PLCL produced fewer cases of fibrotic adhesions to the fat pads at 3 and 10 days than those that incorporated PLGA (Figure B). In the context of implanted materials, fibrosis may occur either (1) due to chronic inflammation in response to the implanted material or (2) due to acute inflammation from the wound healing response to surgical trauma that inhibits fibrinolysis. − …”

Liquid Bandage Harvests Robust Adhesive, Hemostatic, and Antibacterial Performances as a First‐Aid Tissue Adhesive

“…[ 8 ] Although these biomaterials can adhere to tissue surfaces and achieve wound closure, they are associated with the issues of long curing time, weak adhesive strength, and great chance of infectious contaminations. Recently, novel tissue adhesives, for instance, polyethylene glycols (PEG)‐based tissue adhesives, [ 9,10 ] other polymeric hydrogel adhesives, [ 11–13 ] and composite hydrogel adhesives, [ 14 ] have also been developed with enhanced tissue adhesion and shortened gelation time. However, toxic initiator/crosslinking agent, complicated preparation process, and limited degradation have restricted their clinical applications.…”

Engineered Hemostatic Biomaterials for Sealing Wounds

“…To prevent complications associated with bleeding, current surgical toolboxes offer solutions for wound management based on hemostatic gauzes, tissue adhesives, and sealants . Surgical materials promote blood coagulation using hemostatic biomaterials that can also provide adhesion to tissue surfaces . Apart from bleeding wounds, hemostatic materials could provide improved treatment strategies for vascular hemorrhaging via endovascular embolization, where blood vessels are filled with a biomaterial to avoid tissue rupture.…”