Characteristics of chitosan and gelatin adhesive film-type patches by alkaline treatment for adhesion to internal organs.

Surgical sealing and repair of damaged or resected organs are important for successful treatment and tissue healing. Patches are promising medical devices because they have great utility in treatment and recovery, such as surgical convenience and prevention of infection and adhesion. In this study, a biopolymeric hydrogel patch was fabricated with chitosan and gelatin for the repair of damaged organs. The hydrogel fabricated with chitosan and gelatin exhibits easy decomposition in PBS, so the morphological stability and mechanical properties were improved through alkaline treatment. As the crystallinity of chitosan increased by alkaline treatment, the fracture stress increased 4.6 times, and the fracture strain increased 1.4 times. In addition, alkaline treatment did not affect the decrease in the adhesion to the organs and showed high adhesion in the heart, kidney, and lungs. The patch remained stably attached even after repeated contraction-expansion cycles in the lung function test and did not show toxicity in the cytotoxicity evaluation. Overall, this study highlights the potential for developing adhesive patches for the repair of damaged internal organs.