Modified alginate-based soft tissue adhesive: Synthesis, characterization, and application in the treatment of in vivo wound closure

The management of acute and chronic wounds is still a challenge around the world, despite the development of many wound dressing materials and techniques, such as cyanoacrylate-based glue, fibrin glue, suturing, and stapling. To get over this difficulty, a soft tissue adhesive (STA) has been developed by combining bioabsorbable chitosan (CS) and aldehyde sodium alginate (ASA) crosslinked by the Schiff base mechanism and are characterized via the FTIR spectroscopy analysis, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) analysis. Sodium alginate (SA) was converted into aldehyde sodium alginate (ASA) by oxidation, which made it biodegradable (79.2% weight loss at the 9th day) and greatly affected the swelling behavior (only 60% in CS + ASA), and gelation time (7–10 s) of the soft tissue adhesive. The hydrogel`s surface has an adhesive characteristic and is quite smooth, according to the SEM data. The antimicrobial test of the STA confirmed that the adhesive material had good antibacterial efficacy. The bonding ability and biocompatibility of the STA were evaluated by measuring the adhesive strength after sealing the skin incisions on the back of mice. These findings imply that the generated adhesive may be a strong and reliable tissue adhesive with great potential for use in soft tissue adhesion.