The majority of ticks in the family Ixodidae secrete a substance anchoring their mouthparts to the host skin. This substance is termed cement. It has adhesive properties and seals the lesion during feeding. The particular chemical composition and the curing process of the cement are unclear. This review summarizes the literature, starting with a historical overview, briefly introducing the different hypotheses on the origin of the adhesive and how the tick salivary glands have been identified as its source. Details on the sequence of cement deposition, the curing process and detachment are provided. Other possible functions of the cement, such as protection from the host immune system and antimicrobial properties, are presented. Histochemical and ultrastructural data of the intracellular granules in the salivary gland cells, as well as the secreted cement, suggest that proteins constitute the main material, with biochemical data revealing glycine to be the dominant amino acid. Applied methods and their restrictions are discussed. Tick cement is compared with adhesives of other animals such as barnacles, mussels and sea urchins. Finally, we address the potential of tick cement for the field of biomaterial research and in particular for medical applications in future.

中文翻译：

---

蜱附着水泥——回顾生物皮肤塞系统的奥秘


大多数蜱科蜱虫都会分泌一种物质，将其口器固定在宿主皮肤上。这种物质称为水泥。它具有粘合特性，可在喂养过程中密封病变部位。水泥的具体化学成分和固化过程尚不清楚。这篇综述总结了文献，从历史概述开始，简要介绍了关于粘合剂起源的不同假设以及如何确定蜱唾液腺为其来源。提供了有关水泥沉积顺序、固化过程和分离的详细信息。还介绍了水泥的其他可能功能，例如保护宿主免疫系统和抗菌特性。唾液腺细胞内颗粒以及分泌的粘固剂的组织化学和超微结构数据表明蛋白质构成主要材料，生化数据显示甘氨酸是主要氨基酸。讨论了应用方法及其限制。蜱虫粘合剂与藤壶、贻贝和海胆等其他动物的粘合剂进行了比较。最后，我们探讨了蜱水泥在生物材料研究领域，特别是未来医疗应用的潜力。