Sea squirt-inspired bio-derived tissue sealants

Sea squirts or tunicates bodies are composed of cellulose nanofibers and gallol- functionalized proteins. These sea creatures are known to heal their injuries under seawater by forming crosslinks between gallols and functional groups from other proteins in their bodies. Inspired by their wound healing mechanism, herein, we have developed a tissue sealant using zein (a plant-based protein) and tannic acid (gallol-containing polyphenol). Except for fibrin- based sealants, most commercial surgical adhesives, and sealants available today are derived from petroleum products that compromise their biodegradability. They often have complicated and multi-step synthesis processes that ultimately affect their affordability. To overcome this challenge, we ensured that these sea squirt-inspired tissue sealants are bio-based, easily synthesized, and low-cost. The sealants were studied on their own and with a food-grade enzyme transglutaminase. The adhesion performances of the sealants were found to be higher than physiological pressures in seven out of nine different tissue substrates studied here. Their performance was also better than or on par with the FDA-approved fibrin sealant Tisseel. Ex vivo models demonstrate instant sealing of leaking wounds in less than a minute. The sealants were not only cytocompatible but also showed complete wound healing on par with sutures and Tisseel when applied in vivo on skin incisions in rats. Overall, these sea squirt-inspired bio-based sealants show great potential to replace currently available wound closure methods.