Catechol-based tissue adhesive (biomimetic chemistry)

Catechol-based tissue adhesives are not receptors or endogenous biological targets but are a class of biomimetic materials designed to facilitate strong and robust adhesion to wet biological tissues, inspired by the adhesive strategies of marine organisms like mussels. Mussel adhesion is mediated by proteins rich in the amino acid DOPA (3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine), whose catechol groups enable strong interfacial interactions and covalent cross-linking even under wet conditions[1][5]. Synthetic approaches graft catechol moieties to polymers or hydrogels to emulate this chemistry, resulting in materials capable of forming stable tissue bonds through both covalent and non-covalent interactions[1][3][5]. Such adhesives are explored for surgical wound closure, tissue repair, and hemostatic applications due to their biocompatibility, underwater adhesion capability, and ability to cure in situ[3][4][5]. Catechol oxidation chemistry is central to their function, but the resulting generation of reactive oxygen species must be controlled to minimize tissue toxicity[3]. However, "Tissue adhesion via catechol/biomimetic chemistry" does not denote a single protein, receptor, or classical therapeutic target, but rather a mechanism and material class; thus, this entry is not a molecular target in the conventional sense and is "incorrect" as a therapeutic target name[1][3][5].

Other names

Catechol-functionalized hydrogelBioinspired tissue adhesiveMussel-inspired adhesiveBiomimetic tissue adhesive

Covalent and noncovalent bonding between catechol groups and tissue amino groups (including hydrogen bonding and oxidative cross-linking); Biomimetic adhesion to wet surfaces by emulating marine organism proteins (e.g., mussel foot proteins containing DOPA)