An adhesive and resilient hydrogel for the sealing and treatment of gastric perforation

Adhesive hydrogels have been recently proposed as a potential option to seal and treat gastric perforation (GP) which causes high mortality despite advancements in surgical treatments. However, to be effective, the hydrogels must have sufficient tissue adhesiveness, tough mechanical property, tunable biodegradability and ideally are easy to apply and form. Herein, we report an adhesive and resilient hydrogel for the sealing and treatment of gastric perforation. The hydrogel consists of a bioactive, transglutaminase (TG)-crosslinked gelatin network and a dynamic, borate-crosslinked poly-N-[Tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl]acrylamide (PTH) network. The hydrogel can be formed in situ, facilitating easy delivery to the GP and allowing for precise sealing of the defects. In vivo experiments, using a perforated stomach mouse model, shows that the adhesive hydrogel plug effectively seals GP defects and promotes gastric mucosa regeneration. Overall, this hydrogel represents a promising biomaterial for GP treatment.