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Womens Health

Women's Health - Poster Session C

Poster CC6 - Mussel-Inspired Bio-adhesive for Early Intervention in Pelvic Floor Detachment

Friday, October 25, 2024
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST
Location: Exhibit Hall E, F & G

Introduction: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP), often resulting from lateral muscle tears, significantly compromises the quality of life in affected women. A minimally invasive solution using a bio-adhesive that offers temporary mechanical support while promoting tissue repair is highly desirable. This study developed an mussel inspired alginate-dopamine (Alg-Da) based bioadhesive and evaluated it using an ex vivo pig pelvic floor muscle.

Materials and

Methods: We synthesized an alginate-dopamine bioadhesive (Alg-Da) from sodium periodate (PI) oxidation and dopamine grafting, and then using PI as a crosslinker. The parameters for Alg oxidation and dopamine grafting were optimized. The bio-adhesive was combined with poly(lacide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) and tested on pig skeletal muscle and ex vivo vaginal tissue adhesion (Fig A). Nanoparticles (NPs) were initially dispersed in PBS using a vortex, then mixed with an Alg-Da pre-gel solution. For mechanical testing, the bio-adhesive solution was uniformly applied to a 10 mm x 10 mm area on both substrates. The crosslinking solution was added to one side, and the other Alg-Da coated substrate was then placed on top. A 100g weight was used to exert pressure during the crosslinking period, which was conducted in a high-humidity incubator at 37°C. The final concentration was 12.5% (w/v) NPs, 40% (w/v) Alg-Da, and 8% (w/v) PI. These tests were repeated three times to confirm consistency. Cytocompatibility was evaluated using live-dead staining and MTT assays. Results were analyzed using T-tests and ANOVA in Excel.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions: Increasing the concentration of PI during crosslinking significantly decreased pore size and increased the strength of the bio-adhesive. The Alg-Da BA prepared with a 9-hour oxidation period showed superior performance compared to the 12-hour preparation. Adhesion tests indicated significantly stronger bonds to muscle than to vaginal tissue (Fig B), possibly due to the slick surface of the vaginal outer membrane. Enhanced adhesive strength for both tissue types was achieved by extending crosslinking times and increasing temperatures (Fig C-D). The addition of 12.5% PLGA nanoparticles also markedly improved adhesion strength at both tested interfaces. Cytotoxicity studies showed that all tested concentrations (0.01-1 mg/ml) maintained cell viability above 70%.

The Alg-Da bio-adhesive significantly improves attachment between muscle and vaginal tissue, offering a promising early intervention strategy for preventing pelvic organ prolapse and reducing the risk of vaginal wall detachment.

Acknowledgements (Optional): We greatly thank support from NIH R01HD093770.