Toxicity of alkyl 2-cyanoacrylates. II. Bacterial growth.

A FAMILY of adhesives, the alkyl 2-cyanoacrylates, have been receiving increasing attention from surgeons in the hope of improving various surgical procedures. Whether used to replace or to supplement suture techniques, the use of such adhesives necessarily involves the introduction of a foreign body into the operative site. Consequently it seemed worthwhile to investigate the effects of these materials upon bacterial growth. Methyl 2-cyanoacrylate has been available for a considerable period of time and it has long been known to be self-sterilizing. 1 When a drop of this material was added to agar plates, it inhibited the growth of bacteria within a concentric zone. 2 Cultures of the methyl monomer failed to develop bacterial growth. However, spores have been shown to be capable of surviving, though not of developing, within this material. As a result of the interest evolved by the introduction of the methyl monomer, higher homologues of lesser