An Injectable Asymmetric‐Adhesive Hydrogel as a GATA6⁺ Cavity Macrophage Trap to Prevent the Formation of Postoperative Adhesions after Minimally Invasive Surgery

Abstract

Antiadhesive hydrogels have been developed for preventing the formation of postoperative adhesions. However, it is challenging to design an injectable hydrogel with superior tissue retention properties that can be easily administered during minimally invasive surgical procedures to prevent the development of postsurgical adhesions. In this study, an injectable asymmetric‐adhesive hydrogel is fabricated using photocurable catechol‐grafted hyaluronic acid (HAD) for use during minimally invasive procedures to prevent the development of postoperative adhesions. The hydrogel exhibits superior tissue retention properties and favorably inhibits postoperative adhesion formation. This is the first time that an injectable hydrogel is designed via photocrosslinking to control asymmetric‐adhesive capability. The results show that laparoscopically delivered HAD precursor acts as a wet adhesive on the injured cecum, while its outward‐facing side is nonadherent after photocrosslinking. Intriguingly, the HAD acts as a physical barrier and polyanion trap to neutralize scavenger receptors, thereby inhibiting collagen deposition and uncontrolled recruitment of GATA6+ cavity macrophages. Furthermore, the HAD significantly downregulates the expression of fibrosis‐related and proinflammatory cytokines and promotes macrophage polarization. These results demonstrate that injection of the hydrogel can be readily integrated into laparoscopic surgery. Moreover, the HAD may be suitable for preventing adhesion formation after minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Multifunctional Microgel-Based Cream Hydrogels for Postoperative Abdominal Adhesion Prevention

“…By combining the advantages of film and liquid barriers, the injectable hydrogel can perfectly cover irregular wounds and has shown potential in abdominal adhesion inhibition after open or laparoscopic surgery . Many types of injectable hydrogels with excellent antifouling adhesive capabilities, such as carboxyl-containing dynamically cross-linked supramolecular polymer–nanoparticle hydrogels, Janus hydrogels, , photocurable catechol-grafted hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels, , hotmelt tissue adhesives, bottlebrush inspired injectable hydrogels, cellulose-based thermo-gels, and zwitterionic hydrogels, , were prepared by using natural or synthetic polymers through chemical modification or cross-linking. Although efficacy has been shown, these hydrogel systems may encounter at least some of the following limitations: (1) rapid degradation rate and short retention time; (2) presence of toxic residues of cross-linking agents; (3) the use of ultraviolet irradiation; (4) lack of self-healing or self-fused ability to prevent fragmentation during the injection process; (5) slow hydrogel gelation.…”

“…By combining the advantages of film and liquid barriers, the injectable hydrogel can perfectly cover irregular wounds and has shown potential in abdominal adhesion inhibition after open or laparoscopic surgery . Many types of injectable hydrogels with excellent antifouling adhesive capabilities, such as carboxyl-containing dynamically cross-linked supramolecular polymer–nanoparticle hydrogels, Janus hydrogels, , photocurable catechol-grafted hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels, , hotmelt tissue adhesives, bottlebrush inspired injectable hydrogels, cellulose-based thermo-gels, and zwitterionic hydrogels, , were prepared by using natural or synthetic polymers through chemical modification or cross-linking.…”

Injectable composite hydrogels encapsulating gelatin methacryloyl/chitosan microspheres as ARPE-19 cell transplantation carriers

“…Hydrogels play an increasingly vital role in tissue engineering. 17,18 They mimic the extracellular matrix to support three-dimensional cell culture, such as the construction of 3D pigment epithelium-choriocapillaris models and ocular surface regeneration. 10,19 Additionally, the encapsulation and shape plasticity of hydrogels enable them to encapsulate drugs and personalised recombinant cells, and integrate dispersed microspheres.…”

Bioinspired Injectable Self-Healing Hydrogel Sealant with Fault-Tolerant and Repeated Thermo-Responsive Adhesion for Sutureless Post-Wound-Closure and Wound Healing

“…Although synthetic sealants (e.g., cyanoacrylate glue) often show strong adhesion capability, they suffer from redundant preparation process, poor degradability and biocompatibility, bioinert, and the degraded components might cause inflammatory or toxicity response [15,16]. Besides, almost all the synthetic sealants only could achieve one strong adhesion and might need the intervention of external stimuli (e.g., light, H 2 O), which is not conducive for secondary closure of reopened wounds due to the movement of body [4,[17][18][19]. And once covalent bonds are formed, the unavoidable mispositioning of adhesives on dynamic tissue surfaces could not be detached easily.…”