Recent advances in adhesive materials used in the biomedical field: adhesive properties, mechanism, and applications

Adhesive materials are natural or synthetic polymers with the ability to adhere to the surface of luminal mucus or epithelial cells. They are widely used in the biomedical field due to their unique adhesion, biocompatibility, and excellent surface properties. When used in the human body, they can adhere to an accessible target and remain at the focal site for a longer period, improving the therapeutic effect on local disease. An adhesive material with bacteriostatic properties can play an antibacterial role at the focal site and the adhesive properties of the material can prevent the focal site from being infected by bacteria for a period. In addition, some adhesive materials can promote cell growth and tissue repair. In this review, the properties and mechanism of natural adhesive materials, organic adhesive materials, composite adhesive materials, and underwater adhesive materials have been introduced systematically. The applications of these adhesive materials in drug delivery, antibacterials, tissue repair, and other applications are described in detail. Finally, we have discussed the prospects and challenges of using adhesive materials in the field of biomedicine.

Automated summary

Adhesive materials, both natural and synthetic, have the ability to stick to mucus or epithelial cells. They are widely used in biomedicine due to their unique properties, such as adhesion, biocompatibility, and surface characteristics. They can target specific areas in the human body, improving therapeutic effects and preventing bacterial infections. This review systematically introduces the properties and mechanisms of different types of adhesive materials and explores their applications in drug delivery, antibacterials, tissue repair, and other biomedical fields. The prospects and challenges of using adhesive materials in biomedicine are also discussed.