Giant-salamander-derived hydrogel granules with superior bioadhesive properties

Natural tissue adhesives are essential for tissue repair and suture-free wound closure. However, currently available bioadhesives face the significant challenge of weak adhesive characteristics in aqueous environments. Wei and his team at Sun Yat-sen University in China report a natural granular hydrogel derived from Chinese giant salamander with superior wet adhesion mechanisms. Their self-assembled amphiphilic granular hydrogel demonstrates a robust and immediate bonding to the wet substrates both in vitro and in vivo, which was superior to those reported for the commercial adhesive counterparts. The natural and ancient wet bioadhesive, characterized here, offers unique adhesive-functional potentials for use in a wide variety of regenerative medicine applications.