Development of hyaluronan-based membranes for the healing of intestinal surgical wounds: a preliminary study

Implantable membranes based on alginate and hyaluronic acid (HA) were manufactured to obtain a rapidly resorbing pliable mesh for the in situ administration of HA to intestinal tissue. Morphological analyses of this interpenetrated matrix pointed out a homogeneous polymeric texture while degradation studies demonstrated that the material is able to dissolve in physiological solutions within few days. Biological studies in vitro showed that the membrane is biocompatible towards human dermal fibroblasts and that liquid extracts from the HA-containing membrane can stimulate wound healing. A preliminary in vivo biocompatibility study on rats showed that the membranes in direct contact with the intestine did not elicit any acute adverse reaction or immune response, while only a mild inflammatory reaction was noticed at the mesenteric or serosal region. Overall, these results appear to support the application of these polysaccharide-based materials for intestinal wound healing. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].