Strong adhesiveness of a new biodegradable hydrogel glue, LYDEX, for use on articular cartilage.

AIM Until recently, only fibrin glue has been available for clinical usage to repair articular cartilage, although its adhesiveness is not strong enough for use with articular cartilage, and it is derived from human blood and thus carries the risk of contamination. Recently, LYDEX, a new biodegradable hydrogel glue, has come onto the market. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adhesive strength and cytotoxicity of LYDEX when used on articular cartilage. MATERIALS AND METHODS The differing adhesive strengths of collagen membrane and articular cartilage with LYDEX versus with fibrin glue were measured using a tensile tester. In addition, the cytotoxicity of LYDEX in vitro was evaluated. The cytotoxicity of LYDEX for the articular cartilage of rats was evaluated histopathologically. RESULTS The adhesive strength of LYDEX was significantly stronger than that of fibrin glue, giving values about 3.8 times higher. LYDEX has no discernible effect on normal articular cartilage. CONCLUSIONS Our study is the first to assess the usefulness and safety of LYDEX for use on articular cartilage.