Adhesive compositions for surgical use

Adhesive, biocompatible, biodegradable and non-toxic composition for surgical use, in particular for binding biological tissues together or for binding a tissue and an implanted biomaterial, said composition being polymerizable and/or cross-linkable to form multidirectional networks, wherein the adhesive composition comprises at least an organic product containing at least two thiol functions and carboxylic functions, which may be protected or unprotected, and/or carbonyl functions, of the following general formula:

• ##STR26## in which:
• x and y=1 or 2,
• R is a hydrocarbon, chain containing from 1 to 50 carbon atoms, which is optionally substituted by a hydroxy, amino, acid or ester group, with the proviso that the radical --CO--R--CO-- is different from citric acid residue,
• R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are identical or different and are chosen from the following groups:
• ##STR27## wherein z=1 or 2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4, R.sub.5, R.sub.6 and R.sub.7 independently represent hydrogen or an aliphatic and/or alicyclic and/or aromatic group, with the proviso that when said organic product comprises only two thiol functions, the composition includes also at least another organic product of the general formula (I) having at least three thiol functions.