Pycnogenol prevents peritoneal adhesions

Area of Science:

• Surgical research
• Pharmacology
• Natural product research

Background:

• Intra-abdominal adhesions are a common complication following abdominal surgery.
• Adhesions can lead to significant morbidity, including bowel obstruction and infertility.
• Current prevention strategies have limitations, necessitating novel therapeutic approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of Pycnogenol, an extract from French maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) bark, in preventing intra-abdominal adhesions.
• To assess Pycnogenol's impact on adhesion formation in a preclinical animal model.

Main Methods:

• A randomized study involving 30 female Wistar albino rats.
• Three groups were established: control (surgery only), Pycnogenol treatment (10 mg/kg intraperitoneally for 10 days), and saline control (intraperitoneal for 10 days).
• Adhesions were evaluated macroscopically and histopathologically on post-operative day 10.

Main Results:

• Pycnogenol treatment significantly reduced macroscopic adhesion scores compared to both control groups (p < 0.001).
• Histopathological analysis revealed significantly lower levels of inflammation, fibrosis, and neovascularization in the Pycnogenol group (p < 0.001 for inflammation and fibrosis, p = 0.004 for neovascularization).

Conclusions:

• Pycnogenol demonstrates significant efficacy in preventing surgery-related intra-abdominal adhesions.
• These findings suggest Pycnogenol as a potential therapeutic agent for adhesion prevention.