Chitooligosaccharide endowed tunable adhesion to self-gelling powders for rapid hemostasis and sutureless skin wound closure

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Wound Healing

Background:

• Self-gelling powders show promise as tissue adhesives for bleeding wound care.
• A key challenge is achieving strong adhesion with easy, non-damaging removal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an ultrafast self-gelling powder adhesive with tunable adhesion and on-demand removal.
• To evaluate its efficacy in hemostasis and wound closure.

Main Methods:

• Developed acrylic acid/2-aminoethyl methacrylate copolymers (AMA) and chitooligosaccharide (COS) powder.
• Tested hydrogel formation, adhesion strength, and removal characteristics.
• Assessed hemostatic capabilities in rat models and in vivo wound closure efficacy.

Main Results:

• AMA-COS powders rapidly formed hydrogels with strong adhesion (up to 37.74 kPa).
• Adhesion was significantly reduced upon exposure to COS solutions for easy removal (3.28 kPa).
• Achieved effective hemostasis within 20 seconds and demonstrated superior performance in sutureless wound closure compared to sutures and cyanoacrylate glue.

Conclusions:

• AMA-COS powder adhesive provides rapid, robust adhesion and on-demand removal for wound care.
• It offers a promising solution for hemostasis, sutureless wound closure, and tissue repair.