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Updated: Aug 26, 2025
Creation of Abdominal Adhesions in Mice
Published on: August 27, 2016
Combination of Sterile Injury and Microbial Contamination to Model Post-surgical Peritoneal Adhesions in Mice
Julia Bayer1, Deborah Stroka1, Paul Kubes2
1Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Abdominal surgeries are frequently associated with the development of post-surgical adhesions. These are irreversible fibrotic scar bands that appear between abdominal organs and the abdominal wall. Patients suffering from adhesions are at risk of severe complications, such as small bowel obstruction, chronic pelvic pain, or infertility. To date, no cure exists, and the understanding of underlying molecular mechanisms of adhesion formation is incomplete. The current paradigm largely relies on sterile injury mouse models. However, abdominal surgeries in human patients are rarely completely sterile procedures. Here, we describe a modular surgical procedure for simultaneous or separate induction of sterile injury and microbial contamination. Combined, these insults synergistically lead to adhesion formation in the mouse peritoneal cavity. Surgical trauma is confined to a localized sterile injury of the peritoneum. Microbial contamination of the peritoneal cavity is induced by a limited perforation of the microbe-rich large intestine or by injection of fecal content. The presented protocol extends previous injury-based adhesion models by an additional insult through microbial contamination, which may more adequately model the clinical context of abdominal surgery. Graphical abstract.
Insights
This study introduces a new mouse model for post-surgical adhesions, combining sterile injury with microbial contamination to better mimic human abdominal surgery and study adhesion formation.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Science
- Pathology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Post-surgical adhesions are common after abdominal surgery, causing complications like bowel obstruction and infertility.
- Current research models primarily use sterile injury, which doesn't fully represent clinical scenarios involving microbial contamination.
- Understanding adhesion mechanisms is crucial as no cure currently exists.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a more clinically relevant mouse model for studying post-surgical adhesion formation.
- To investigate the synergistic effect of sterile surgical injury and microbial contamination on adhesion development.
Main Methods:
- A modular surgical protocol was designed for simultaneous or separate induction of sterile peritoneal injury and microbial contamination.
- Microbial contamination was achieved through large intestine perforation or fecal content injection.
- The model focuses on localized peritoneal injury to mimic surgical trauma.
Main Results:
- The combined insults of sterile injury and microbial contamination synergistically promoted adhesion formation in the mouse peritoneal cavity.
- This model provides a more realistic simulation of the conditions encountered during human abdominal surgeries.
Conclusions:
- The developed model enhances the study of post-surgical adhesions by incorporating microbial contamination, offering a closer approximation to clinical realities.
- This approach may lead to a better understanding of adhesion pathogenesis and the development of future therapeutic strategies.
