Body-temperature responsive hydrogel adhesive for active wound closure

Hydrogels find extensive application in sutureless wound closure and healing. For relying solely on the natural recovery rate of skin or tissue often results in prolonged healing periods due to the gradual process of wound contraction facilitated by cell migration, our approach involves the integration of two distinct layers to create a cohesive and innovative body-temperature responsive hydrogel tape (TRAT). The shape memory layer of P (PTHF-co-PEG-co-PETMP) owns excellent mechanical properties and adjustable temperature-responsive characteristics. Upon integration with the adhesive layer of consisting of a silk fibroin semi-interpenetrating network and poly (acrylic acid) covalent network, the resulting TRAT composite maintains remarkable body temperature responsive shape memory attributes while retaining robust wet surface adhesion capabilities (~150 kPa). In virtue of the exceptional temperature-responsive and wet-adhesion features, TRAT is capable of achieving varying degrees of wound contraction, and spontaneously unfolds from an initial folded state and securely attaches to the inner esophageal surface upon temperature stimulation. This holds promising implications for the development of anti-migration trachea stents, bordering TRAT's potential in this application.