Preparation and characterization of polygalacturonic acid/rosmarinic acid membrane crosslinked by short chain hyaluronate for preventing postoperative abdominal adhesion

The most used materials for anti tissue adhesion after surgery are polymeric membranes. In this study, a short chain hyaluronate (sHA)-crosslinked polygalacturonic acid (PGA) membrane containing rosmarinic acid (PGA/RA membrane) was prepared and characterized. The in vitro dynamic release behavior of RA from the PGA membranes was analyzed. The profiles showed 70% of the total RA released from the membrane after 5 days. The best-fitting mathematical model for RA release from the PGA membrane was the Korsmeyer–Peppas model (r2 = 0.996). In vivo evaluation of anti-postoperative tissue adhesion showed that use of a PGA/RA membrane reduced adhesion incidence by 90%. Anti-inflammatory analysis results showed that on the third day following surgery, the number of neutrophils and macrophages in the PGA-treated group (without RA) was 2.1 and 2.4 times that of the PGA/RA-treated group, respectively. Thus, the PGA/RA membrane developed in this study has anti-postoperative tissue adhesion and anti-inflammatory capabilities.