Preparation and characterization of a photocrosslinkable bioadhesive inspired by marine mussel

Synthetic adhesives inspired by marine mussel have attracted great attention due to its excellent water-resistance and good biocompatibility. In this study, a photocrosslinkable bioadhesive containing 3,4-Dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (DOPA) functional group, which is central to curing mussel adhesive proteins, was prepared by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of a new photocurable monomer ethylene glycol acrylate methacrylate-dopamine (EGAMA-DOPA) and a UV photocrosslinkable crosslinking agent poly(vinyl alcohol) (UV-PVA) derivative. The chemical structures of EGAMA-DOPA and UV-PVA were confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared Reflection (FTIR) and 1H NMR spectroscopy, respectively. The effects of UV light intensity, content of photoinitiator, EGAMA-DOPA and UV-PVA on the photopolymerization kinetics were studied, and the effects of the content of UV-PVA and temperature on the adhesive strength were also investigated. It was found that the higher UV light intensity, the faster polymerization rate and the higher final conversion that was the same as the trend of photoinitiator, EGAMA-DOPA and UV-PVA. And the adhesion strength measurement showed that, for gels with 30 wt.% EGAMA-DOPA, the adhesion strength was obviously improved by about 150% with 3.0 wt.% UV-PVA instead of pure PVA, and for gels containing 40 wt.% EGAMA-DOPA, the adhesion strength sharply enhanced by 123% with increasing the content of UV-PVA from 1.0 wt.% to 3.0 wt.%. Cell attachment results showed good cell viability of L929 cell on the EGAMA-DOPA/UV-PVA adhesive gels. Thanks to its strong adhesion strength and good biocompatibility, such photocrosslinkable gels could be applied to the areas of biomedical field.

► A photoactive PVA derivative (UV-PVA) was prepared by esterification process.
► A photocurable monomer EGAMA-DOPA was successfully prepared.
► UV-PVA could be used as a novel polymer crosslinking agent with good properties.
► UV-PVA improved the photopolymerization behavior of EGAMA-DOPA system.
► UV-PVA significantly enhanced the adhesion strength of EGAMA-DOPA system.