Bio-inspired hydrogel-based bandage with robust adhesive and antibacterial abilities for skin closure

Although conventional suturing techniques are commonly used in assisting wound closure, they do pose limited conduciveness and may lead to secondary injury to wound tissues. Inspired by marine organism mussels, we designed and manufactured a bio-inspired hydrogel-based bandage with tough wet tissue adhesion to substitute traditional surgical suture, accelerate wound healing and avoid infection. Poly(γ-glutamic acid) was modified with 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and glycidyl methacylate, then introduced into the acrylic acid-co-acrylamide hydrogel matrix with robust mechanical properties. The hydrogel bandage showed strong chemical linkage adhesion (70 ± 2.1 kPa), which is 2.8 times that of commercial tissue adhesive fibrin glue (25 ± 2.2 kPa). The hydrogel bandage can not only maintain the self-stability, but is also capable of self-tuning adhesive strength in the range of 14–70 kPa to achieve different adhesion effects by tuning constituent ratio. The bandage has desirable compression properties (0.7 ± 0.11 MPa) and tensile elongation (about 25 times), which ensures its resistance to damages, especially in joint spaces. Secondly, the bandage was endowed with antioxidant and endogenous broad-spectrum antibacterial properties with its catechol structure. Results also demonstrated excellent cell compatibility and blood compatibility, certifying its eligible biological safety profile. In a rat full-thickness cutaneous deficiency model, we can clearly observe that the bandage possesses the ability to promote wound healing (only need 6 days). Above all, this research provides a new strategy for the emergency treatment of liver hemostasis and myocardial repair during disaster rescue.[Figure not available: see fulltext.].