Epithelial tissues line the organs of the body, providing an initial protective barrier as well as a surface for nutrient and drug absorption. Here, we identified enzymatic components present in the gastrointestinal epithelium that can serve as selective means for tissue-directed polymerization. We focused on the small intestine, given its role in drug and nutrient absorption and identified catalase as an essential enzyme with the potential to catalyze polymerization and growth of synthetic biomaterial layers. We demonstrated that the polymerization of dopamine by catalase yields strong tissue adhesion. We characterized the mechanism and specificity of the polymerization in segments of the gastrointestinal tracts of pigs and humans ex vivo. Moreover, we demonstrated proof of concept for application of these gastrointestinal synthetic epithelial linings for drug delivery, enzymatic immobilization for digestive supplementation, and nutritional modulation through transient barrier formation in pigs. This catalase-based approach to in situ biomaterial generation may have broad indications for gastrointestinal applications.

上皮组织遍布人体器官，提供了初始的保护屏障以及营养和药物吸收表面。在这里，我们确定了胃肠道上皮细胞中存在的酶成分，可以作为组织定向聚合反应的选择性手段。考虑到小肠在药物和营养吸收中的作用，我们将重点放在小肠上，并将过氧化氢酶鉴定为必不可少的酶，具有催化合成生物材料层聚合和生长的潜力。我们证明了通过过氧化氢酶的多巴胺聚合产生强大的组织粘附力。我们表征了猪和人离体胃肠道各部分中聚合的机理和特异性。此外，我们证明了这些胃肠道合成上皮衬里在药物输送中的应用，通过酶促固定进行消化补充的营养以及通过猪中短暂屏障形成的营养调节的概念验证。这种基于过氧化氢酶的原位生物材料生成方法可能对胃肠道应用具有广泛的适应症。