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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
A Translational Surgical Porcine Model for Postoperative Intra-Abdominal Adhesion Formation
Published on: March 13, 2026
Cross-linked poly (gamma-glutamic acid) attenuates peritoneal adhesion in a rat model
Yotaro Izumi1, Michiko Yamamoto, Masafumi Kawamura
1Department of Surgery, Division of General Thoracic Surgery, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan. yotaro@sc.itc.keio.ac.jp
Background:
Poly (gamma-glutamic acid) (PGA) is a naturally occurring biodegradable polymer produced by Bacillus subtilis. PGA is crosslinked by gamma-irradiation to yield crosslinked PGA (XL). XL absorbs large amounts of fluid and forms a biodegradable viscous hydrogel. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-adhesive effect of XL in a rat abdominal wall defect and cecal abrasion model.
Methods:
Abdominal wall resection and cecal abrasion were carried out in rats (abrasion-no-treatment group, n = 12). In the treatment groups, the following materials were applied: PGA (n = 12), XL (n = 16), hyaluronic acid (HA) (n = 12), Seprafilm (n = 12), and Interceed (n = 10). A week later, adhesion formation was evaluated.
Results:
Firm adhesions were seen in the abrasion-no-treatment group. XL reduced adhesion formation significantly compared with abrasion-no-treatment, HA, Seprafilm, and Interceed groups. Although not statistically significant, the magnitude of adhesion formation was decreased in the XL group in comparison to the PGA group.
Conclusions:
We suggest that the anti-adhesive effect of XL was superior to other materials in this rat model. XL application may have attenuated tissue adhesion by forming a viscous hydrogel over the injured surfaces.
