A review on Light-initiated crosslinking of biomaterials stained with Rose Bengal for “Nanosuturing” Macromolecular interfaces

Abstract

The prospect of utilizing light to photochemically induce or enhance the adhesion of tissue surfaces has been scientifically investigated for over 20 years. During this time, two slightly different approaches have emerged. On one hand, a photochemically active molecule, eg. Rose Bengal (RB) can be applied as a dye on the tissue to be bonded and then exposed to appropriate light for crosslinking. On the other hand, the possibility of embedding the photochemically active molecule inside an exogenous carrier matrix and then bringing the stained material in contact with the tissue has only been investigated more recently. While the photochemical tissue bonding (PTB) with RB via direct staining of the tissue has been reviewed, we found no reviews analyzing the results obtained when exogenous biomaterials are stained and then bonded to the tissue by the photochemical process. Here, we aim at providing a short review of the use of exogenous materials dyed with RB as candidates for PTB and evaluate the reported bonding strengths as a function of materials chemistry and crosslinking parameters. PTB with RB has been tested in biomaterials like chitosan and human amniotic membrane yielding a water-tight seal after activation with green light. The key variables and conditions of this technique were summarized, including light source, fluence, composition of the RB staining solution and molecular structure of the biomaterial. Lastly, reported photo- and cytotoxicity results are briefly discussed to provide an outlook into the promising future of PTB in photomedicine.