A scientific equipment has developed a hydrogel spray which is applied in the abdominal surgeries and that acts physical barrier and protects the tissue from inflammation and mechanical signals that promote the formation of peritoneal adhesions postsurgical procedures that require the patient to operate again.
The peritoneal adhesions are patches of scar tissue that form after a abdominal surgerywhich can cause chronic pain, intestinal obstruction or infertility, and which cannot be prevented.
He study has demonstrated in animal models that he hydrogel spray significantly reduces the formation of these adhesions.
The details of the investigationcarried out by scientists from Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center (CBM, CSIC-UAM) of Spain, in collaboration with Imperial College Londonthe University of Oxford and the American startup TYBR Health, have been published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
In the form of aerosol
The new hydrogeldeveloped by TYBR Health, is applied in the form of aerosol during surgery, it is made with material of porcine origin and has intelligent properties: it is liquid at a low temperature, which facilitates its application, and when it reaches body temperature it becomes a gel that remains at the site of the intervention, the CBM details in a note.
In addition to functioning as a physical barrier which prevents the organs from sticking together, the hydrogel acts as biological modulator which protects the tissue from mechanical and inflammatory signals and blocks a key cellular process that converts protective cells of the peritoneum into fibroblasts, which cause fibrosis and adhesions.
The essays performed on mice and rabbits subjected to abdominal surgeries They showed that the hydrogel favors the mesothelium regeneration (the membrane that covers the abdomen) and significantly reduces the appearance of adhesions, that is, it is much more effective and biocompatible than current strategies.
“It’s a innovative approach and clinically transferable that could improve the recovery of millions of patients undergoing abdominal surgery all over the world,” he says. Pilar SandovalCBM researcher and co-author of study.
The results show that the hydrogel can be a promising strategy to prevent post-surgical complicationscontribute to the quality of life of patients and reduce the burden on healthcare systems.
