Structural Heteropolysaccharide Adhesion to the Glycocalyx of Visceral Mesothelium

Abstract

Bioadhesives are biopolymers with potential applications in wound healing, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. Pectin, a plant-based heteropolysaccharide, has recently demonstrated potential as a mucoadhesive in the gut. Since mucoadhesion is a process likely involving the interpenetration of the pectin polymer with mucin chains, we hypothesized that pectin may also be effective at targeting the glycocalyx of the visceral mesothelium. To explore the potential role of pectin as a mesothelial bioadhesive, we studied the interaction of various pectin formulations with the mesothelium of the lung, liver, bowel, and heart. Tensile strength, peel strength, and shear resistance of the bioadhesive-mesothelial interaction were measured by load/displacement measurements. In both high-methoxyl pectins (HMP) and low-methoxyl pectins, bioadhesion was greatest with an equal weight % formulation with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). The tensile strength of the high-methoxyl pectin was consistently greater than low-methoxyl or amidated low-methoxyl formulations (p < 0.05). Consistent with a mechanism of polymer-glycocalyx interpenetration, the HMP adhesion to tissue mesothelium was reversed with hydration and limited by enzyme treatment (hyaluronidase, pronase, and neuraminidase). Peel and shear forces applied to the lung/pectin adhesion resulted in a near-interface structural failure and the efficient isolation of intact en face pleural mesothelium. These data indicate that HMP, in an equal weight % mixture with CMC, is a promising mesothelial bioadhesive for use in experimental and therapeutic applications.

The Effect of Calcium on the Cohesive Strength and Flexural Properties of Low-Methoxyl Pectin Biopolymers

“…Finally, the physical properties in this study, such as strength and flexibility, are particularly relevant for mesothelial sealants [5]. The mesothelium is the surface layer of visceral organs, including the lungs, heart, bowel, and liver.…”

“…A variety of polysaccharide polymers have been implicated in biomedical applications, including alginate [1], cellulose [2], chitin [3], agarose [4], and pectin [5]. Pectin is a particularly interesting polysaccharide because of its structural and functional features.…”

“…Functionally, pectin demonstrates remarkable adhesivity to gut mucins, providing a useful mechanism for controlled oral drug delivery [10]. Pectin also binds the mesothelial glycocalyx of visceral organs [5], suggesting its potential role as a mesothelial sealant [11].…”

The physico-chemistry of adhesions of protein resistant and weak polyelectrolyte brushes to cells and tissues

“…These observations are in good agreement with the work of Servais et al, who reported that the adhesive force of pectin/CMC formulations to the mesothelium of several different tissues (investigated via uniaxial tensile strength tests using a customized apparatus for load/displacement measurements) was reduced after treatment of these samples with neuraminidase; in some cases this was by as much as 50%. 102 The dependence of weak polyelectrolyte adhesion to cells, mediated by the glycocalyx, is therefore demonstrated across multiple length scales. Similarly, enzymatic cleavage of the glycocalyx components had a significant impact on the adhesion of PDMAEMA brushes, indicating that steric repulsion may also be responsible for the weak adhesion profile of these brushes to cell monolayers; this further suggests that fouling of the PDMAEMA surface is responsible for such low adhesion, despite the absence of medium or serum in the testing conditions.…”

Novel dopa-functionalized bioadhesives for internal medical applications

“…The end point of such testing is considered the detachment of the adhered specimens, namely the failure point [24][25][26]. Three possible situations may happen at the failure point, which are the specimens detached 1) within the bioadhesives' thickness, 2) at tissue-bioadhesive interface, and 3) the specimen torn in two.…”