Ultra-strong bio-glue from genetically engineered polypeptides

Chao Ma, Jing Sun, Bo Li, Yang Feng, Yao Sun, Li Xiang, Baiheng Wu, Lingling Xiao, Baimei Liu, Vladislav S. Petrovskii, Liu, Jinrui Zhang, Zili Wang, Hongyan Li, Lei Zhang, Jingjing Li, Fan Wang, Robert Gӧstl, Igor I. Potemkin, Dong Chen, Hongbo Zeng, Hongjie Zhang, Kai Liu () and Andreas Herrmann ()
Additional contact information
Chao Ma: Tsinghua University
Jing Sun: Harvard University
Bo Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yang Feng: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yao Sun: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Li Xiang: University of Alberta
Baiheng Wu: Zhejiang University
Lingling Xiao: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Baimei Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Vladislav S. Petrovskii: Lomonosov Moscow State University
Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jinrui Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zili Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hongyan Li: University of Groningen
Lei Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jingjing Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Fan Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Robert Gӧstl: DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials
Igor I. Potemkin: Lomonosov Moscow State University
Dong Chen: Zhejiang University
Hongbo Zeng: University of Alberta
Hongjie Zhang: Tsinghua University
Kai Liu: Tsinghua University
Andreas Herrmann: University of Groningen

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract The development of biomedical glues is an important, yet challenging task as seemingly mutually exclusive properties need to be combined in one material, i.e. strong adhesion and adaption to remodeling processes in healing tissue. Here, we report a biocompatible and biodegradable protein-based adhesive with high adhesion strengths. The maximum strength reaches 16.5 ± 2.2 MPa on hard substrates, which is comparable to that of commercial cyanoacrylate superglue and higher than other protein-based adhesives by at least one order of magnitude. Moreover, the strong adhesion on soft tissues qualifies the adhesive as biomedical glue outperforming some commercial products. Robust mechanical properties are realized without covalent bond formation during the adhesion process. A complex consisting of cationic supercharged polypeptides and anionic aromatic surfactants with lysine to surfactant molar ratio of 1:0.9 is driven by multiple supramolecular interactions enabling such strong adhesion. We demonstrate the glue’s robust performance in vitro and in vivo for cosmetic and hemostasis applications and accelerated wound healing by comparison to surgical wound closures.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23117-9

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