Betaine-stabilized Poly(lipoic acid) Adhesive Patch for Oral Ulcer Treatment

Xu-Xuan Yang; Zhen Luo; Jia-Xing Shao; Xue-Quan Feng; Zi-Yang Xu; Chun-Yan Cui; Wen-Guang Liu

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3592-y

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Betaine-stabilized Poly(lipoic acid) Adhesive Patch for Oral Ulcer Treatment

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-04-30

- Betaine-stabilized Poly(lipoic acid) Adhesive Patch for Oral Ulcer Treatment
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Issue 5, Pages: 1444-1456(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.School of Material Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
  b.The Neurosurgical Department of Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin 300350, China
  c.State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
- Author bio：
  
  cycui@tju.edu.cn (C.Y.C.)
  wgliu@tju.edu.cn (W.G.L.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3592-y
  CLC：
- Received：07 January 2026，
  
  Revised：2026-01-25，
  
  Accepted：27 January 2026，
  
  Online First：13 March 2026，
  
  Published：05 May 2026
- Accepted：
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Yang, X. X.; Luo, Z.; Shao, J. X.; Feng, X. Q.; Xu, Z. Y.; Cui, C. Y.; Liu, W. G. Betaine-stabilized poly(lipoic acid) adhesive patch for oral ulcer treatment. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 1444–1456

Xu-Xuan Yang, Zhen Luo, Jia-Xing Shao, et al. Betaine-stabilized Poly(lipoic acid) Adhesive Patch for Oral Ulcer Treatment[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(5): 1444-1456.
Yang, X. X.; Luo, Z.; Shao, J. X.; Feng, X. Q.; Xu, Z. Y.; Cui, C. Y.; Liu, W. G. Betaine-stabilized poly(lipoic acid) adhesive patch for oral ulcer treatment. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 1444–1456 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3592-y.

Xu-Xuan Yang, Zhen Luo, Jia-Xing Shao, et al. Betaine-stabilized Poly(lipoic acid) Adhesive Patch for Oral Ulcer Treatment[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(5): 1444-1456. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3592-y.

摘要

A supramolecular PolyLA/BET (LA

-lipoic acid; BET

betaine) adhesive patch is constructed

via

solvent evaporation

where zwitterionic stabilization enables enhanced polymer stability

moisture retention

and wet adhesion through hydrogen-bonding and ionic interactions.

Abstract

Oral ulcers

a prevalent oral mucosal condition

involve epithelial discontinuity

tissue fluid loss

reactive oxygen species accumulation

and bacterial infection. Dynamic saliva flow and physical friction from food residues further aggravate the damage and delay healing. To address this problem

we developed a stable PolyLA-based adhesive patch by combining

-lipoic acid (LA) and betaine (BET) using a simple one-step solvent evaporation method

referred to as PolyLA/BET. The carboxylate and tertiary ammonium groups on BET formed multiple hydrogen bonds with PolyLA

effectively inhibiting the depolymerization of LA. PolyLA/BET firmly adheres to oral tissues

via

hydrogen bonding mediated by surface carboxyl groups. Moreover

zwitterionic structure of BET enabled the patch to absorb and retain water. Upon hydration

the patch maintains structural stability while acquiring flexibility and adhesiveness

which are essential characteristics for durable sealing and the formation of a stable moist wound healing microenvironment. The patch also sustained the release of LA

providing antioxidant and antibacterial activities. In a rat oral ulcer model

PolyLA/BET outperformed the commercial patch in promoting wound healing.

关键词

Keywords

references

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