Design of novel bioadhesive materials based on mussel-derived glues

3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), a unique amino acid found in mussel adhesive proteins (MAPS), was incorporated into polyethylene glycol) (PEG)-based hydrogels using several methods in an attempt to create a novel adhesive biomaterial that can potentially function as a wound closure material, a tissue engineering scaffold, or a mucoadhesive drug carrier. MAP sequences contain as much as 25 mol% DOPA, which is responsible for both strong water-resistant adhesion and rapid curing of these proteins. In the first strategy, DOPA was chemically attached to PEG and both enzymatic and chemical oxidizing reagents were used to induce oxidative cross-linking of DOPA, which resulted in rapid gel formation. Although DOPA was incorporated into a biocompatible PEG-based gel, the oxidized-forms of DOPA are believed to be less adhesive than the catecholic form. Thus, the second focus of the thesis was to incorporate the reduced form of DOPA into a gel network through photopolymerization. This was accomplished by copolymerizing N-methacrylated DOPA with PEG-diacrylate (PEG-DA). While catechol integration was demonstrated, the presence of DOPA lengthened gelation time and reduced the extent of gelation and the mechanical integrity of photocured hydrogels. In the third part of this thesis, the inhibitive effect of DOPA on photopolymerization was eliminated through the design of methacrylated amphiphilic block copolymers consisting of PEG and poly(lactide) (PLA). The self-assembling ability of these polymers was exploited to separate DOPA residues from methacrylate groups. Rapid gelation was achieved (<30 sec) to form DOPA-functionalized hydrogels that degraded in vitro within 2 weeks. The final objective was aimed at increasing DOPA content in the gel network by custom-designing a new methacrylated PEG-b-PLA copolymer with a free --NH2 group on the PEG backbone and to incorporate short poly(DOPA) and poly(DOPA-Lys) peptides through N-carboxyanhydride (NCA) polymerization. Contact mechanical tests of DOPA-modified gels submerged in an aqueous medium demonstrated strong adhesive interaction to TiO 2, and it was confirmed that the reduced form of DOPA was responsible for the adhesion. This thesis work addressed several needs in the development of novel bioadhesive materials with improved properties in an effort to bring them closer for clinical applications.