Nanosilicate Embedded Zwitterionic Hydrogel with Improved Bioactivity for Rapid Prevention of Postoperative and Recurrent Adhesion

Abstract

Postoperative adhesion (PA) is a common complication after intraperitoneal surgery. Hydrogels are a physical barrier that prevents peritoneal adhesion. However, complicated synthetic processes and harsh conditions limit the applicability of hydrogels. In this study, zwitterionic nanocomposite hydrogels (pSBLA) are designed and prepared by incorporating anisotropic two-dimensional nanosilicates (laponite) to enhance cell proliferation. The anisotropic distribution of charges in laponites results in strong electrostatic repulsion in aqueous solutions and enables electrostatic interactions between amphiphilic ions, thereby enhancing the mechanical properties of hydrogels. The pSBLA hydrogels also possess a series of characters for an ideal anti-adhesion material, including resistance to adhesion against fibrinogen, proteins, cells, and bacteria. The mechanism underlying the extraordinary hydration of pSBLA is elucidated in this study using molecular dynamic simulations. Besides, pSBLA hydrogel shows a major advancement in anti-adhesion efficacy by completely and reliably preventing postoperative and recurrent adhesions after adhesiolysis in rat models. Furthermore, mechanism exploration reveals that pSBLA hydrogel inhibits inflammatory responses and resists fibrosis by regulating the TGF-β/Smad signal pathway. Therefore, the pSBLA hydrogel has considerable potential for preventing PA in clinical settings.

Note:
Funding Information: We are grateful for the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82304728, 82274475), the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (LQ24H150001). We also appreciate the great help/technical support/experimental support from the Medical Research Center, Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University.

Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval Statement: The animal experiments procedure was passed the “Guiding Principles in the Care and Use of Animals, revised in 2017” (China), and the study was approved by Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Zhejiang Chinese Medicine University (IACUC-20240708-02).

Keywords: Nanosilicate, Zwitterionic hydrogels, Abdominal adhesion, Nonfouling performances