Bioadhesives with Antimicrobial Properties.

Bioadhesives with antimicrobial properties enable easier and safer treatment of wounds as compared to the traditional methods such as suturing and stapling on a variety of medical conditions. Composed of natural or synthetic polymers, these bioadhesives seal wounds and facilitate healing while preventing infections through the activity of locally released antimicrobial drugs, nanocomponents or inherently antimicrobial polymers. Although many different materials and strategies are employed to develop antimicrobial bioadhesives, the design of these biomaterials necessitates a prudent approach as achieving all the required properties including optimal adhesive and cohesive properties, biocompatibility, and antimicrobial activity can be challenging. Designing antimicrobial bioadhesives with tunable physical, chemical and biological properties will shed light on the path for future advancement of bioadhesives with antimicrobial properties. In this review, we discuss the requirements and commonly used strategies for developing bioadhesives with antimicrobial properties. In particular, we will summarize different methods for their synthesis and will review their experimental and clinical applications on a variety of organs. Advances in the design of bioadhesives with antimicrobial properties will pave the way for a better management of wounds to increase positive medical outcomes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.