Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 30, 2026
A Translational Surgical Porcine Model for Postoperative Intra-Abdominal Adhesion Formation
Published on: March 13, 2026
Effect of intraabdominal administration of Allium sativum (garlic) oil on postoperative peritoneal adhesion
Ahmet Sahbaz1, Hatice Isik1, Oner Aynioglu1
1Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University, School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kozlu, Zonguldak, Turkey.
Objective(S):
Peritoneal adhesion is a serious problem that develops after most abdominopelvic surgeries. Allium sativum (garlic) has been used for centuries as both a nutrient and a traditional medicine. The anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, fibrinolytic, and wound-healing properties of garlic are well-recognized. We evaluated the effect of garlic on formation of postoperative adhesions in rats.
Study Design:
Thirty Wistar-Albino female rats weighing 200-250 g were randomly divided into three groups (10 rats/group). Group 1 rats received 5 ml/kg garlic oil intraperitoneally and no surgery was performed. The ceca of Group 2 rats (controls) were scraped, to trigger adhesion formation, and no treatment was given. In Group 3 rats, 5 ml/kg garlic oil was added to the peritoneal cavity immediately after the cecum was scraped. All animals were sacrificed 10 d after surgery and adhesions graded in terms of severity and histopathologic characteristics.
Results:
All animals tolerated the operations well. No adhesions were evident upon laparotomy of Group 1 animals. In Group 2 three rats had an adhesion grade 2 and seven rats had an adhesion of grade 3, whereas in Group 3 no adhesions were found in four rats, five rats had an adhesion grade of 1. Only one rat had a grade 2 adhesion. Macroscopic adhesions and mean adhesion scores of Group 3 were significantly lower than Group 2 (p<0.001). Histopathologic evaluation of the specimens also revealed a statistically significant differences in inflammation, fibrosis, and neovascularization scores between Group 2 and 3 (p=0.001, p=0.001, and p=0.011, respectively). Inflammation, fibrosis and vascularization scores in Group 3 were found significantly lower than Group 2.
Conclusion:
The anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, fibrinolytic, antithrombotic, and wound-healing effects of garlic likely prevent formation of peritoneal adhesions in a rat model, and garlic may be effective and cheap when used to prevent such adhesions in humans.
