Mussels gave scientists a recipe for surgical glue
A new surgical glue appeared thanks to mussels
Korean specialists create a surgical glue that can reduce scars and scars after injury. The basis of the idea is the ability of mussels to stick to any surface under water. Scientists believe that this feature will help in the production of waterproof types of glue that will be more reliable and cheaper than existing analogues.
To date, surgeons use various medical threads to connect tissues. However, when suturing, scars are formed. In addition, such a method is not suitable for sensitive internal organs or mucous membranes. Innovative surgical glue, which Korean scientists are working on, will help to connect and hold the edges of the wound in a moist environment. At the same time, the novelty will be non-toxic, and will not provoke negative chemical reactions.
The basis of future development will be protein, with which mussels are attached to underwater surfaces – rocks, pier structures and ship bottoms. Irradiation of the protein with blue visible light causes photochemical reactions, as a result of which tyrosine bonds are instantly formed. The output is a unique material with structural stability and rare adhesive properties.
Drawing from the news of Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)
The glue obtained on the basis of shellfish proteins was called LAMBA. The results of the experiments showed that in animals, the innovative substance closed wounds with bleeding in less than a minute. After healing, there were no inflammatory processes at the site of the cut, in addition, there were no scars left after the wound.
According to the developers, the novelty will be extremely in demand in the medical field. In addition to an alternative to surgical threads, glue can be used as a hemostatic agent, as well as for the delivery of medicines.
Article by Eun Young Jeon et al. Rapidly light-activated surgical protein glue inspired by mussel adhesion and insect structural crosslinking is published in the journal Biomaterials – VM.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru
24.07.2015