title: Novel thermosensitive hydrogel for preventing formation of abdominal adhesions.
abstract: Adhesions can form after almost any type of abdominal surgery. Postoperative adhesions can be prevented by improved surgical techniques, such as reducing surgical trauma, preventing ischemia, and avoiding exposure of the peritoneal cavity to foreign materials. Although improved surgical techniques can potentially reduce formation of adhesions, they cannot be eliminated completely. Therefore, finding more effective methods to prevent postoperative adhesions is imperative. Recently, we found that a novel thermosensitive hydrogel, ie, poly(ε-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCEC) had the potential to prevent postoperative adhesions. Using the ring-opening polymerization method we prepared a PCEC copolymer which could be dissolved and assembled at 55°C into PCEC micelles with mean size of 25 nm. At body temperature, a solution containing PCEC micelles could convert into a hydrogel. The PCEC copolymer was biodegradable and had low toxicity in vitro and in vivo. We found that most animals in a hydrogel-treated group (n = 10) did not develop adhesions. In contrast, 10 untreated animals developed adhesions that could only be separated by sharp dissection (P < 0.001). The hydrogel could adhere to peritoneal wounds and degraded gradually over 7-9 days, transforming into a viscous fuid that was completely absorbed within 12 days. The injured parietal and visceral peritoneum remesothelialized over about seven and nine days, respectively. This study confirms that PCEC hydrogel has potential application in the prevention of postoperative adhesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, College of Preclinical and Forensic Medical Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Xiaohui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Xiawei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Huashan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Fengtian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Tinghong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.forename: Yuli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Changyang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000473:pathology; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008823:Micelles; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013696:Temperature; D000267:Tissue Adhesions / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D008823:Micelles; D011091:Polyesters; C492324:poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-poly(oxyethylene)-poly(epsilon-caprolactone); D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols
keywords: biodegradable; hydrogel; poly(ε-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone); postoperative adhesions; thermosensitive