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Chromophore‐Free Sealing and Repair of Soft Tissues Using Mid‐Infrared Light‐Activated Biosealants
Author(s) -
Ridha Inam,
Basiri Ali,
Godeshala Sudhakar,
Rafique Md Zubair Ebne,
Ghosh Deepanjan,
Williams Jason,
Chawla Nikhilesh,
Lee Jung Keun,
Kilbourne Jacquelyn,
Yao Yu,
Rege Kaushal
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.202007811
Subject(s) - materials science , soft tissue , biomedical engineering , photothermal therapy , chromophore , biomaterial , nanotechnology , surgery , medicine , chemistry , organic chemistry
Poor strength, infection, leakage, long procedure times, and inflammation limit the efficacy of common tissue sealing devices in surgeries and trauma. Light‐activated sealing is attractive for tissue sealing and repair, and can be facilitated by the generation of local heat following absorption of nonionizing laser energy by chromophores. Here, the inherent ability of biomaterials is exploited to absorb nonionizing, mid‐infrared (midIR) light in order to engender rapid photothermal sealing and repair of soft tissue wounds. In this approach, the biomaterial simultaneously acts as a photothermal convertor as well as a biosealant, which dispenses the need for exogeneous light‐absorbing nanoparticles or dyes. Biomechanical recovery, mathematical modeling, histopathology analyses, tissue strain mapping using digital imaging correlation, and visualization of the biosealant‐tissue interface using hyperspectral imaging indicate superior performance of midIR sealing in live mice compared to conventional sutures and glue. The midIR‐biosealant approach demonstrates rapid sealing of soft tissues, improves cosmesis, lowers potential for scarring, obviates safety concerns because of the nonionizing light used, and allows adoption of a wide diversity of biomaterials. Taken together, the studies demonstrate a novel advance both in biomaterials for surgical sealing along with the use of nonionizing midIR light, with high potential for clinical translation.