In-situ self-gelling adhesive hydrogel powder for immediate sutureless closure of open ocular injuries

Open globe injuries (OGIs) are a major cause of blindness and visual impairment, posing a significant public health challenge worldwide. Timely intervention is essential for the treatment of open eye trauma. Suturing remains the primary method for managing ocular trauma. However, suturing is time-consuming, require highly skilled physicians, and carry multiple potential risks. Therefore, there is an urgent clinical need to explore a more convenient and effective approach for ophthalmic trauma management. This study aims to develop a rapid self- gelling adhesive hydrogel powder for sutureless wound closure in OGI. We create a water-triggered in situ self-gelling adhesive hydrogel powder based on the composite aggregation of two oppositely charged polymers (polyethyleneimine and polyacrylic acid) for rapid, sutureless closure of OGIs. This powder can rapidly absorb interfacial water and forms in situ bonded hydrogels through strong physical interactions between polymers and between the polymer and tissue interface. The hydrogel was demonstrated to have strong tissue adhesion and excellent mechanical properties. In vitro cellular experiments and in vivo animal studies confirm its favorable biocompatibility. Animal studies demonstrated that this powder can effectively seal irregularly damaged tissue on the corneal and scleral surfaces. In conclusion, PEI/PAA powder exhibits good wet-interface adhesion and biocompatibility. Overall, our study demonstrate that PEI/PAA powder can rapidly absorb interfacial water to form an in-situ hydrogel. Experimental results confirm that this hydrogel exhibits strong tissue adhesion and excellent biocompatibility. These findings support the use of PEI/PAA powder as a rapid, effective, and safe therapeutic approach for OGI treatment.