Lessons from Sea Organisms to Produce New Biomedical Adhesives

Hennebert, Elise; Becker, Pierre; Flammang, Patrick

doi:10.1002/9783527652273.ch12

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 96 publications

(144 reference statements)

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“…Numerous living organisms have developed adhesion strategies to stick to inorganic surfaces in wet environments . A typical example is provided by mussels, whose mechanism of adhesion on a large variety of surfaces is of major interest for many applications in medicine and materials science .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A typical example is provided by mussels, whose mechanism of adhesion on a large variety of surfaces is of major interest for many applications in medicine and materials science . On the basis of the hypothesis that 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dopa), a catecholic amino acid, governs mussel adhesion, chemists have put much effort into the design of adhesives containing catechols . A significant research effort has focused on understanding the very principles of Dopa-based adhesion for the design of related bioinspired materials .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How to Increase Adhesion Strength of Catechol Polymers to Wet Inorganic Surfaces

et al. 2020

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Mussel wet adhesion is known for its outstanding strength on a variety of surfaces. On the basis of the hypothesis that 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, a catecholic amino acid, governs mussel adhesion, chemists have put much effort into the design of adhesive synthetic polymers containing catechols. However, the exceptional properties exhibited by the native proteins were hardly captured. The attempts to make those polymers stick to wet inorganic surfaces resulted in low adhesive forces. Here we synthesized poly(dopamine acrylamide) and measured the interaction forces with various inorganic surfaces using atomic force microscopy-based single-molecule force spectroscopy. We show that hydroxylation of the surface plays a pivotal role on the formation of strong bonds. We demonstrate that depending on the conditions, the whole range of interactions, from weak interactions to covalent bonds, can come into play.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to Increase Adhesion Strength of Catechol Polymers to Wet Inorganic Surfaces

et al. 2020

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Instantaneous adhesion of Cuvierian tubules in the sea cucumber Holothuria forskali

et al. 2014

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The peculiar Cuvierian tubules of sea cucumbers function as a defense mechanism. They thwart attacks by creating a sticky network composed of elongated tubules within which the potential predator is entangled in a matter of seconds and thus immobilized. Cuvierian tubules are typical instantaneous adhesive organs in which tissue integrity is destroyed during the release of the adhesive secretion. However, very little information is available about this adhesion process. The adhesive epithelium-the mesothelium-and the sticky material it produces were studied in the species Holothuria forskali using different microscopy techniques (light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy). The mesothelium consists of two cell types-peritoneocytes and granular cells-organized in superimposed layers. In tubules before expulsion, peritoneocytes form an outer protective cell layer preventing adhesion when not needed. After expulsion, the elongation process removes this protective layer and allows granular cells to unfold and to become exposed at the tubule surface. At this stage, Cuvierian tubules are still not sticky. Upon contact with a surface, however, granular cells release their granule contents. Once released, this material changes in aspect, swells, and spreads readily on any type of substrate where it forms a thin homogeneous layer. After tubule peeling, this layer remains on the surface but is often contaminated with collagen fibers. Atomic force microscopy demonstrated the adhesive layer to be made up of globular nanostructures measuring about 70 nm in diameter and to be more adhesive than the collagen fibers left on it. The morphological organization of Cuvierian tubules therefore allows contact-dependent deposition of an adhesive material presenting a high affinity for various surfaces. It is certainly an adaptive advantage for a defense organ to be able to entangle different types of predators.

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