Toxicity of Alkyl 2-Cyanoacrylates

Abstract

THE USE of a tissue adhesive for surgical procedures has long been an appealing possibility. The development of such an adhesive in the form of methyl 2-cyanoacrylate monomer has prompted a large number of clinical and experimental studies. Many of these have pointed the way toward adoption of this material in the operating room, but all too frequently there has been an expression of dissatisfaction and the desire for a less toxic material. The synthesis of other members of the alkyl 2-cyanoacrylate family offered the opportunity to investigate homologues of potentially greater tissue compatibility. As yet there have been only a few comparative studies of these materials. Healey et al,¹performing vascular anastomoses, found the isobutyl monomer to be approximately as effective as the methyl compound. Woodward et al²compared the methyl, hexyl, and decyl monomers and concluded that increasing alkyl chain length is associated with decreasing histotoxicity.