Novel L-DOPA-derived poly(ester amide)s: monomers, polymers, and the first L-DOPA-functionalized biobased adhesive tape

A Mechanically Reinforced Super Bone Glue Makes a Leap in Hard Tissue Strong Adhesion and Augmented Bone Regeneration

Existing bone tissue engineering strategies aim to achieve minimize surgical trauma, stabilize the injured area, and establish a dynamic osteogenic microenvironment. The cutting-edge bone glue developed in this study satisfies these criteria. Inspired by the excellent adhesive properties of mussels, herein, a super osteogenic glue (L-DPZ) that integrates poly(vinyl alcohol), L-dopa amino acid, and zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 characterized by catechol-metal coordination is used to successfully adhere to hard tissue with a maximum adhesive strength of 10 MPa, which is much higher than those of commercial and previously reported bone glues. The stable hard tissue adhesion also enables it to adhere strongly to luxated or broken teeth, Bio-Oss (a typical bone graft material), and splice fragments from comminuted fractures of the rabbit femur. Then, it is testified that the L-DPZ hydrogels exhibit satisfactory biocompatibility, stable degradability, and osteogenic ability in vitro. Moreover, the ability to anchor Bio-Oss and sustained osteogenesis of L-DPZ result in satisfactory healing in calvarial bone defect models in rabbits, as observed by increased bone thickness and the ingrowth of new bone tissue. These results are expected to demonstrate solutions to clinical dilemmas such as comminuted bone fracture fixation, bone defect reconstruction, and teeth dislocation replantation.

Improved Mechanical Strength of Dicatechol Crosslinked MXene Films for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Performance

Pristine MXene films express outstanding excellent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties. Nevertheless, the poor mechanical properties (weak and brittle nature) and easy oxidation of MXene films hinder their practical applications. This study demonstrates a facile strategy for simultaneously improving the mechanical flexibility and the EMI shielding of MXene films. In this study, dicatechol-6 (DC), a mussel-inspired molecule, was successfully synthesized in which DC as mortars was crosslinked with MXene nanosheets (MX) as bricks to create the brick-mortar structure of the MX@DC film. The resulting MX@DC-2 film has a toughness of 40.02 kJ·m^-3 and Young's modulus of 6.2 GPa, which are improvements of 513% and 849%, respectively, compared to those of the bare MXene films. The coating of electrically insulating DC significantly reduced the in-plane electrical conductivity from 6491 S·cm^-1 for the bare MXene film to 2820 S·cm^-1 for the MX@DC-5 film. However, the EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of the MX@DC-5 film reached 66.2 dB, which is noticeably greater than that of the bare MX film (61.5 dB). The enhancement in EMI SE resulted from the highly ordered alignment of the MXene nanosheets. The synergistic concurrent enhancement in the strength and EMI SE of the DC-coated MXene film can facilitate the utilization of the MXene film in reliable, practical applications.

Recent Advances of Poly(ester amide)s-Based Biomaterials

Biodegradable and biocompatible biomaterials have offered much more opportunities from an engineering standpoint for treating diseases and maintaining health. Poly(ester amide)s (PEAs), as an outstanding family among such biomaterials, have risen overwhelmingly in the past decades. These synthetic polymers have easily and widely available raw materials and a diversity of synthetic approaches, which have attracted considerable attention. More importantly, combining the superiorities of polyamides and polyesters, PEAs have emerged with better functions. They could have improved biodegradability, biocompatibility, and cell-material interactions. The PEAs derived from α-amino acids even allow the introduction of pendant sites for further modification or functionalization. Meanwhile, it is gradually recognized that the chemical structures are closely related to the physiochemical and biological properties of PEAs so that their properties can be precisely controlled. PEAs therefore become significant materials in the biomedical fields. This review will attempt to summarize the recent progress in the development of PEAs with respect to the preparation materials and methods, structure-property relationships along with their latest biomedical accomplishments, especially for drug delivery and tissue engineering.

Recent Advances in Mussel-Inspired Synthetic Polymers as Marine Antifouling Coatings

Synthetic oligomers and polymers inspired by the multifunctional tethering system (byssus) of the common mussel (genus Mytilus) have emerged since the 1980s as a very active research domain within the wider bioinspired and biomimetic materials arena. The unique combination of strong underwater adhesion, robust mechanical properties and self-healing capacity has been linked to a large extent to the presence of the unusual α-amino acid derivative l-DOPA (l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) as a building block of the mussel byssus proteins. This paper provides a short overview of marine biofouling, discussing the different marine biofouling species and natural defenses against these, as well as biomimicry as a concept investigated in the marine antifouling context. A detailed discussion of the literature on the Mytilus mussel family follows, covering elements of their biology, biochemistry and the specific measures adopted by these mussels to utilise their l-DOPA-rich protein sequences (and specifically the ortho-bisphenol (catechol) moiety) in their benefit. A comprehensive account is then given of the key catechol chemistries (covalent and non-covalent/intermolecular) relevant to adhesion, cohesion and self-healing, as well as of some of the most characteristic mussel protein synthetic mimics reported over the past 30 years and the related polymer functionalisation strategies with l-DOPA/catechol. Lastly, we review some of the most recent advances in such mussel-inspired synthetic oligomers and polymers, claimed as specifically aimed or intended for use in marine antifouling coatings and/or tested against marine biofouling species.

Citrate chemistry and biology for biomaterials design

Leveraging the multifunctional nature of citrate in chemistry and inspired by its important role in biological tissues, a class of highly versatile and functional citrate-based materials (CBBs) has been developed via facile and cost-effective polycondensation. CBBs exhibiting tunable mechanical properties and degradation rates, together with excellent biocompatibility and processability, have been successfully applied in vitro and in vivo for applications ranging from soft to hard tissue regeneration, as well as for nanomedicine designs. We summarize in the review, chemistry considerations for CBBs design to tune polymer properties and to introduce functionality with a focus on the most recent advances, biological functions of citrate in native tissues with the new notion of degradation products as cell modulator highlighted, and the applications of CBBs in wound healing, nanomedicine, orthopedic, cardiovascular, nerve and bladder tissue engineering. Given the expansive evidence for citrate's potential in biology and biomaterial science outlined in this review, it is expected that citrate based materials will continue to play an important role in regenerative engineering.

Mussel-inspired Fluoro-Polydopamine Functionalization of Titanium Dioxide Nanowires for Polymer Nanocomposites with Significantly Enhanced Energy Storage Capability

High-dielectric-constant polymer nanocomposites are demonstrated to show great promise as energy storage materials. However, the large electrical mismatch and incompatibility between nanofillers and polymer matrix usually give rise to significantly reduced breakdown strength and weak energy storage capability. Therefore, rational selection and elaborate functionalization of nanofillers to optimize the performance of polymer nanocomposites are vital. Herein, inspired by adhesive proteins in mussels, a facile modification by fluoro-polydopamine is employed to reinforce the compatibility of TiO₂ nanowires in the fluoropolymer matrix. The loading of 2.5 vol % f-DOPA@TiO₂ NWs leads to an ultrahigh discharged energy density of 11.48 J cm⁻³ at 530 MV m⁻¹, more than three times of commercial biaxial-oriented polypropylene (BOPP, 3.56 J cm⁻³ at 600 MV m⁻¹). A gratifying high energy density of 9.12 J cm⁻³ has also been obtained with nanofiller loading as high as 15 vol % at 360 MV m⁻¹, which is nearly double to that of pure P(VDF-HFP) (4.76 J cm⁻³ at 360 MV m⁻¹). This splendid energy storage capability seems to rival or exceed most of previously reported nano-TiO₂ based nanocomposites. The methods presented here provide deep insights into the design of polymer nanocomposites for energy storage applications.

Biobased Polymer Coating Using Catechol Derivative Urushiol

We have investigated the mechanism of the superior mechanical robustness of coated thin films of the catechol derivative urushiol. We synthesized hydrogenated urushiol (h-urushiol) by hydrogenating the double bonds in the long alkyl side chain of urushiol, and the physical properties of thin films of mixtures of urushiol and h-urushiol were evaluated. Atomic force microscopy observations revealed that these coated thin films have a homogeneous surface with no phase separation, regardless of the h-urushiol content, arising from the similarity of the chemical structures. The films showed good adhesive properties because the adhesion originates from the catechol structure. In contrast, curing time depended strongly upon the h-urushiol content. The curing of the h-urushiol thin film took 12 h, whereas the urushiol thin film was cured within 10 min. Moreover, the strain-induced elastic buckling instability for mechanical measurements test and the bulge test confirmed that the increase in the h-urushiol content decreased the mechanical strength. Because the double bonds in the urushiol side chain contribute to forming the highly cross-linked structure, the lack of double bonds in h-urushiol resulted in the slow curing and low mechanical strength. Interestingly, the mechanical robustness started to increase over 80 mol % h-urushiol. The saturated long alkyl side chain of h-urushiol faced the surface, and the regular structure of the uniform side chain may improve the mechanical properties of the coated film. Our results will help to develop biomimetic catechol-based coatings.

Synthesis and characterization of anti-bacterial and anti-fungal citrate-based mussel-inspired bioadhesives

Bacterial and fungal infections in the use of surgical devices and medical implants remain a major concern. Traditional bioadhesives fail to incorporate anti-microbial properties, necessitating additional anti-microbial drug injection. Herein, by the introduction of the clinically used and inexpensive anti-fungal agent, 10-undecylenic acid (UA), into our recently developed injectable citrate-based mussel-inspired bioadhesives (iCMBAs), a new family of anti-bacterial and anti-fungal iCMBAs (AbAf iCs) was developed. AbAf iCs not only showed strong wet tissue adhesion strength, but also exhibited excellent in vitro cyto-compatibility, fast degradation, and strong initial and considerable long-term anti-bacterial and anti-fungal ability. For the first time, the biocompatibility and anti-microbial ability of sodium metaperiodate (PI), an oxidant used as a cross-linking initiator in the AbAf iCs system, was also thoroughly investigated. Our results suggest that the PI-based bioadhesives showed better anti-microbial properties compared to the unstable silver-based bioadhesive materials. In conclusion, AbAf iCs family can serve as excellent anti-bacterial and anti-fungal bioadhesive candidates for tissue/wound closure, wound dressing, and bone regeneration, especially when bacterial or fungal infections are a major concern.

Elastic sealants for surgical applications

Sealants have emerged as promising candidates for replacing sutures and staples to prevent air and liquid leakages during and after the surgeries. Their physical properties and adhesion strength to seal the wound area without limiting the tissue movement and function are key factors in their successful implementation in clinical practice. In this contribution, the advances in the development of elastic sealants formed from synthetic and natural materials are critically reviewed and their shortcomings are pointed out. In addition, we highlight the applications in which elasticity of the sealant is critical and outline the limitations of the currently available sealants. This review will provide insights for the development of novel bioadhesives with advanced functionality for surgical applications.