An in Vivo Evaluation of a Chondroitin Sulfate Solution to Prevent Postoperative Intraperitoneal Adhesion Formation

Abstract Purpose. The goal of this study was to determine the efficacy of a single intraperitoneal administration of a chondroitin sulfate solution in preventing postoperative adhesion formation. Methods. Twenty-five Sprague–Dawley rats had a 1-cm 2 area of cecal serosa abraded. Controls (CON, n = 5) received no treatment, the chondroitin sulfate group (CS, n = 10) received chondroitin sulfate (0.013 g/kg) in 0.9% NaCl intraperitoneally (ip), and vehicle controls (VC, n = 10) received an equal volume of 0.9% NaCl solution ip before the abdomen was closed. All animals were sacrificed on postoperative day 10. The extent of adhesion was quantified according to Mazuji's adhesion grade (0 to 4: 0 = no adhesion and 4 = very dense adhesion) and quantitated after H&E, trichome, and immunohistochemical staining for fibrin and collagen type I and type III using digital image analysis. Results. The mean Mazuji's adhesion grade in the CON was 4.0 ± 0.0, in the VC 2.60 ± 0.37, and in the CS 1.3 ± 0.42 ( P P P P P P > 0.1). Conclusions. The extent of early postoperative intra-abdominal adhesion formation as determined by gross assessment and from quantitation of fibrin and collagen type I deposition was significantly reduced by a single intraperitoneal administration of a chondroitin sulfate solution.