Effect of tannic acid on the mechanical and adhesive properties of catechol-modified hyaluronic acid hydrogels

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is applied in various fields, including pharmaceutical science, owing to its favorable biological properties such as moisture retention, non-toxicity, biodegradability, biocompatibility and biodegradability. In particular, many studies have aimed at its application in the form of a hydrogel. However, the applications of HA hydrogels are limited owing to their poor mechanical properties. In this study, an HA-catechol conjugate (HA-Cat) was synthesized by reacting the HA polymer with dopamine to improve its adhesion to various substrates. The HA-Cat hydrogel was prepared via oxidative crosslinking using a small amount of NaIO4 as the oxidant, and the hydrogel formation was investigated by rheological and mechanical studies. Further, the effect of tannic acid (TA) on the adhesive strength and compressive strength of the HA-Cat/TA hydrogels was examined according to the amount of NaIO4 used for crosslinking and the TA contents. Both the adhesive and compressive properties of the HA-Cat hydrogels were improved with the addition of TA. The HA-based hydrogels containing TA have great potential as cost-effective and biocompatible medical adhesives. •Catechol-modified hyaluronic acid (HA-Cat) was synthesized using dopamine coupling.•HA-Cat hydrogel was prepared via oxidative crosslinking using a NaIO4 oxidant.•Adhesive and compressive properties of HA-Cat hydrogel was improved by TA addition.•Biocompatible HA-Cat/TA hydrogel can potentially be applied as a medical adhesive.