Lung-Mimetic Hydrofoam Sealant to Treat Pulmonary Air Leak.

Pulmonary air leak is the most common complication of lung surgery, contributing to post-operative morbidity in up to 60% of patients, yet there is no reliable treatment. Available surgical sealants do not match the demanding deformation mechanics of lung tissue and therefore fail to seal air leak. To address this therapeutic gap, we developed and systematically evaluated a sealant with structural and mechanical similarity to subpleural lung. Our "lung-mimetic" sealant is a hydrofoam material that has alveolar-like porous ultrastructure, lung-like viscoelastic properties (adhesive, compressive, tensile), and lung extracellular matrix-derived signals (matrikines) to support tissue repair. In biocompatibility testing, the lung-mimetic sealant showed minimal cytotoxicity and immunogenicity in vitro. Human primary monocytes exposed to sealant matrikines in vitro upregulated key genes (MARCO, PDGFB, VEGF) known to correlate with pleural wound healing and tissue repair in vivo. In rat and swine models of pulmonary air leak, our lung-mimetic sealant rapidly sealed air leak and restored baseline lung mechanics. Altogether, these data indicate that our lung-mimetic sealant can effectively seal pulmonary air leak and promote a favorable cellular response in vitro. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.