NOVEL BIOADHESIVES BASED ON GELATIN AND ALGINATE WITH CONTROLLED RELEASE OF ANTIBIOTIC DRUG

Surgical and traumatic wounds, including skin lacerations, comprise a major public health concern worldwide, with significant costs. In the last decades, the development of tissue bioadhesives as an alternative to sutures or staples in closing skin lacerations has intensified, due to many advantages, including less discomfort and less time consuming. However, most of the approved to use bioadhesives are either too toxic or obtain weak bonding strength to the tissue. Novel bioadhesives comprised of gelatin and alginate, crosslinked with carbodiimide, were developed by us. N-hydroxysuccinimide was added to the crosslinking reaction to enable a decrease in the crosslinker content without decreasing the bonding strength. The incorporation of clindamycin, an antibiotic drug, was found to improve the bonding strength. The release profile was fast and highly effective against two relevant bacterial strains. Good cytotoxicity results were obtained and in-vivo studies indicated very promising results of these novel bioadhesives. Overall, in addition to their regular role as soft tissue bioadhesives, our novel bioadhesives represent an effective and selective treatment option for bacterial infections.