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An ex vivo study was conducted to determine the effect of the irregularity of the scaffold surface on the tensile strength of repairs formed using our Scaffold-Enhanced Biological Adhesive (SEBA). Two different scaffold materials were investigated: (i) a synthetic biodegradable material fabricated from poly(L-lactic-co-glycolic acid); and (ii) a biological material, small intestinal submucosa, manufactured by Cook BioTech. The scaffolds were doped with protein solder composed of 50%(w/v) bovine serum albumin solder and 0.5mg/ml indocyanine green dye mixed in deionized water, and activated with an 808-nm diode laser. The tensile strength of repairs performed on bovine thoracic aorta, liver, spleen, small intestine and lung, using the smooth and irregular surfaces of the above scaffold-enhanced materials were measured and the time-to-failure was recorded. The tensile strength of repairs formed using the irregular surfaces of the scaffolds were consistently higher than those formed using the smooth surfaces of the scaffolds. The largest difference was observed on repairs formed on the aorta and small intestine, where the repairs were, on average, 50% stronger using the irregular versus the smooth scaffold surfaces. In addition, the time-to-failure of repairs formed using the irregular surfaces of the scaffolds were between 50% and 100% longer than that achieved using the smooth surfaces of the scaffolds. It has previously been shown that distributing or dispersing the adhesive forces over the increased surface area of the scaffold, either smooth or irregular, produces stronger repairs than albumin solder alone. The increase in the absolute strength and longevity of repairs seen in this new study when the irregular surfaces of the scaffolds are used is thought to be due to the distribution of forces between the many independent micro-adhesions provided by the irregular surfaces.
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