Postoperative abdominal adhesions formation is considered a significant clinical entity implicating the healing process following major pelvic and abdominal surgery, with serious clinical complications and need for substantial health care expenditures. However, setting a physical barrier between the damage site and the neighboring tissues is a convenient and highly valid way to minimize or prevent peritoneal adhesions. The present experimental study evaluated the preventive effect of ligustrazine nanoparticles nano spray (LNNS) on postoperative abdominal adhesion in rats and explored its mechanism.Sixty male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, control group, sodium hyaluronate group and low, medium, and high dose LNNS groups. All groups were prepared with abdominal adhesion models except for the sham operation group. The models were made by opening the abdominal cavity to and filing the serosa in ileocecal junction. The abdominal cavity of rats in the sham operation group were only opened and sutured. The wound surface of rats in the sodium hyaluronate group, low, medium, and high dose LNNS groups were sprayed with sodium hyaluronate gel (0.5 mL/kg) and LNNS (2.5, 5, and 10 mL/kg). Rats in each group were sacrificed 7 days later. Degree of adhesion was evaluated by naked eyes and the pathological sections were scored afterwards. The collagen synthesis in adhesion tissues was detected by Masson's trichrome stain, and the activities of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in peritoneal fluid were detected with the method of chromogenic substrate. Levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in serum, and the protein levels of MCP-1 and MMP-9 in adhesion tissues were detected by ELISA and. immunohistochemistry respectively. RT-PCR and Western blot were utilized to identify the expression levels of Nrf2, heme-oxygenase-1, NQO1 mRNA and protein in adherent intestinal tissues.Compared with the control group, the incidence of postoperative abdominal adhesions decreased in the low, medium and high dose LNNS groups, while the expression of SOD in the peritoneal fluid significantly increased. The expression levels of ROS, MDA and NO were reduced remarkably (P<0.05), so were the expression levels of serum TNF-α and IL-1β (P<0.01) and the expression of MCP-1 protein in adhesion tissues. The MMP-9 protein expression, and Nrf2, heme-oxygenase-1, NQO1 mRNA and protein expressions increased.LNNS with medium or high dose can significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative abdominal adhesions, the mechanism of which may be the activation of Nrf2/ARE pathway, resulting in the up-regulation of Nrf2, heme-oxygenase-1, NQO1 and mRNA expression, as well as the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in peripheral blood and the expression of MCP-1 protein in adhesion tissues. Meanwhile, the content of MMP-9 protein in adhesion tissues were raised, and oxidative stress and inflammatory response are released.
