Biological Glue from Only Lipoic Acid for Scarless Wound Healing by Anti-inflammation and TGF-β Regulation

Biological glue (bioglue) neatly and noninvasively seals wound against external tension and holds great potential in scarless wound healing. Nevertheless, the current bioglues lack regulating inflammatory cytokines and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), two other key factors for scar formation. Herein, a new bioglue, termed LA-glue, was developed by thermal-initiated polymerization of the aqueous dispersion of lipoic acid (LA) and its sodium salt. When contacting to tissue, LA-glue would firmly seal the wound by its high-density carboxyl groups. Importantly, the indwelling LA-glue would gradually degrade to LA, a B vitamin which could reeducate overexpressed pro-inflammatory cytokines and TGF-β1 to normal levels. In vivo results demonstrated that the LA-glue treated wound not only possessed an appearance indistinguishable from normal skin but had tensile strength and hair follicles restored to those of healthy skin. The simple and safe LA-glue is the first to address the three key factors of scar formation, i.e., external tension, excessive inflammatory response, and uncontrolled TGF-β1 expression, and has great promise in clinical settings.