Engineering of a hemostatic and antibacterial sealant based on oxidized tannic acid-chitosan containing gentamicin sulfate-imprinted tine oxide for surgical adhesives

Bleeding and bacterial infection are major challenges in managing surgical wounds. This study aims to develop a multifunctional nanocomposite sealant based on oxidized tannic acid (OTA)-chitosan containing molecularly imprinted tin oxide nanoparticles (SnO 2 @MIP) for surgical adhesive applications. SnO 2 @MIP nanoparticles are synthesized using a core-shell approach, with gentamicin sulfate (GS) as the template, methacrylic acid as the functional monomer, and poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) as a temperature-responsive polymer. The incorporation of 5 wt.% SnO 2 @MIP into the OTA-chitosan matrix significantly enhances the compressive strength (from 124.3 ± 9.6 kPa to 256.3 ± 16.7 kPa) and modulus (from 73.5 ± 10.3 kPa to 120.0 ± 14.4 kPa) of sealants, attributed to effective hydrogen bonding and cross-linking interactions. Moreover, the addition of SnO 2 @MIP nanoparticles considerably improves the ex vivo tissue adhesive properties of nanocomposite sealants (103 ± 10 kPa) compared to those of commercialized tissue adhesives. This nanocomposite sealant also demonstrates minimal hemolysis (< 2 %), accelerated blood clotting compared to the control (< 2 min vs. > 6 min), and significant antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli (inhibition zone=17.8 ± 0.6 mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (inhibition zone=26.7 ± 1.6 mm), driven by GS release, reactive oxygen species generated by SnO 2 , and the intrinsic antibacterial activity of the OTA-chitosan matrix. Nanocomposite sealants could also support the attachment and proliferation of L929 fibroblasts. These findings highlight the potential of SnO 2 @MIP-loaded chitosan sealants as advanced surgical adhesives with antimicrobial, hemostatic, and drug-release capabilities.