A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Free University of Berlin combined the strength of mussels with the stickiness of mucus to create a new superglue.
Researchers have long been intrigued by mussels’ ability to form strong, hard-to-break bonds with ship hulls and other wet surfaces. That ability has long suggested a route to new adhesives that could be useful in medicine.
How the idea developed
In a new study, the team combined mucus and mussel adhesive proteins into a single mixture to create a novel superglue.
The scientists aimed to make a waterproof, antibacterial adhesive for surgery, wound care, and infection prevention after medical procedures.
The team also pointed to an existing natural material that sticks tightly while limiting bacterial buildup: mucus. Mucus forms a protective layer on surfaces of the body that are not covered by skin. It helps shield the body from pH changes, bacteria, and viruses, and it accompanies processes like swallowing, coughing, and sneezing.
Ultimately, the researchers decided to use mucus’s antimicrobial properties and combine them with the waterproof adhesion of mussels.
How did the experiments go?
First, the team had to test whether the idea would work. They extracted adhesive proteins from mussels and combined them with mucin proteins from pigs and with synthetic mucin polymers.
They examined gel formation and the mechanical properties of the materials at different stages, then tested the compounds as tissue adhesives and antimicrobial coatings, IFLScience reported.
Researchers found they could precisely control gelation time—ranging from seconds to hours—by changing the polymers’ molecular architecture.
“We can control the speed at which liquids gel and stick,” said Rainer Haag, a co-author of the study. He added that the team achieved this on wet surfaces at room temperature and under very mild conditions, which is unusual.
When the team tested the adhesive on pig skin as a stand-in for human tissue, it not only bonded surfaces effectively but also prevented buildup of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common and dangerous cause of postoperative complications.
So far, researchers have not worked with human samples. “We expect that our approach will be compatible with human mucins, for example salivary mucins,” said George Degen, a co-author of the study.
The adhesive is still at an early stage, but the researchers envision adapting it for injection or as a spray that forms a sticky gel. They hope it could improve patient safety during implant placement or serve as a wound dressing that prevents infection.
The results of the study were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
