Thermosensitive methyl cellulose-based injectable hydrogels for post-operation anti-adhesion

Thermosensitive methyl cellulose (MC)-based injectable hydrogels for post-operation anti-adhesion were prepared by integrating polyethylene glycol (PEG), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and chitosan sulfate (CS-SO3) with MC sols. The viscosity of the MC-based sols depended on the sol composition, especially the amount of CMC. The gelation temperature of the sols was tuned by adjusting the concentrations of K+ and other components to obtain an MC-based sol that transformed to a gel at body temperature. The composition of the sol also affected the gel strength. Adding PEG decreased the repulsions between the CMC and CS-SO3 macromolecules and thus increased the gel strength. The efficacy of the MC-based injectable hydrogels as barriers for reducing postsurgical adhesions was evaluated using a rat cecal abrasion model. The PEG and CS-SO3 loaded MC-based injectable hydrogels were effective in reducing adhesion formation and reduced adhesiolysis difficulties.