Bioglue Holds Promise as a Wound-Healing Agent

A new study describes a sticky gel made from a compound commonly found in a tanning spray that could serve as a wound healing agent, and might also prove effective in filling tissue gaps left by breast cancer surgery.

Developed by researchers at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY, USA) and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center (NYP; NY, USA), the new compound is composed of polyethylene glycol (MPEG) and a polycarbonate of dihydroxyacetone (pDHA). By binding the single molecule monomer of DHA, which is highly reactive, to a protecting group molecule, the researchers were able to make the compound stable enough to manipulate, allowing them to bind the monomers together to form a polymer, or chain of molecules, together with the MPEG.

The resulting MPEG-pDHA compound is a thixotropic physically cross-linked hydrogel with rapid chain relaxation, and it is easily extruded through narrow-gauge needles; it also biodegrades into inert products, and is well tolerated by soft tissues. This allows the new polymer gel to be injected through a syringe, working like a tissue bonding adhesive that prevents postsurgical cavities from filling with seroma fluid, a problem, which currently must be dealt with using a temporary implanted drain. In an animal trial, the researchers found that the gel prevented or significantly lowered seroma formation and buildup in rats that had breast tissue removed. The study was published early online on May 31, 2010, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

"This polymer holds significant promise for clinical applicability in a host of surgical procedures ranging from cosmetic surgery to cancer resection,” said senior author David Putnam, Ph.D., a biomedical engineer from Cornell University's Department of Biomedical Engineering and School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. "The glue is broken down, or metabolized, and then safely removed by the body. Making a polymer from DHA has eluded chemical engineers for about 20 years.”

DHA, also known as glycerone, is a simple triose carbohydrate, and is primarily used as an ingredient in sunless tanning products. It is often derived from plant sources such as sugar beets and sugar cane, and by the fermentation of glycerin.

Related Links:
Cornell University
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center