Adhesive Hydrogel with Suppression of the Fibrotic Encapsulation by Implant Tissue Interface

The implanted biomaterials and devices face compromised functionality and efficacy in the long-term by foreign body responses and the subsequent formation of the fibrous capsule at the implant-tissue interface. Here, we demonstrate that an adhesive implant-tissue interface can avoid fibrous capsule formation by minimizing infiltration of inflammatory cells at the implant-tissue interface. Histological analysis shows that the adhesive implant can preserve the implant-tissue interface without fibrous capsule formation in diverse organs including abdominal wall, colon, stomach, lung, and heart over 12 weeks in rat models in vivo. Immunofluorescence analysis, RNA sequencing, and quantitative PCR are further performed to validate the hypothesis. This finding may offer a promising strategy for long-term implant-tissue interfacing.