Synthesis and characterization of mussel-inspired nanocomposites based on dopamine-chitosan-iron oxide for wound healing: In vitro study

There are many challenges faced the soft tissue adhesives in the medical application field. For example, there is a limited effective binding between the medical adhesive and different types of soft tissues. Chitosan (CS) and dopamine (DA) were used as structural units for synthesizing nanocomposites utilized as a wet tissue adhesive. To produce dopamine-chitosan-iron oxide nanocomposites (DA-CS-Fe₃O₄ NCs), DA was loaded onto chitosan-iron oxide nanocomposites. The nanocomposites have been prepared using ionic gelation method under vigorous homogenization and characterized by different techniques. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) have shown that DA-CS- Fe₃O₄ NCs could attach to the tissue through two possible functional groups, namely, the catechol and amine groups. The results of in vitro scratch wound-healing assay suggested that the prepared DA-CS- Fe₃O₄ NCs facilitate cell migration (the wound-closure percentage reached 96% at 72 h). All experimental results confirm that DA-CS- Fe₃O₄ NCs are strongly recommended for use as a soft medical tissue adhesive in wound healing and surgeries such as vascular surgery. In addition, the results of the whole blood clotting, antibacterial assessment, live and dead assay, cytotoxicity test, and wound-healing assay indicate that DA-CS-Fe₃O₄ NCs can be used as a multifunctional biomedical adhesive.