Polysaccharide-based emulsion gels for the prevention of postoperative adhesions and as a drug delivery system using 5-fluorouracil.

Postoperative tissue adhesion is a well-recognized and common complication. Despite ongoing developments in anti-adhesion agents, complete prevention remains a challenge in clinical practice. Colorectal cancer necessitates both adhesion prevention and postoperative chemotherapy. Accordingly, drug-loading into an anti-adhesion agent could be employed as a treatment strategy to maximize the drug effects through local application and minimize side effects. Herein, we introduce an anti-adhesion agent that functions as a drug delivery system by loading drugs within an emulsion that forms a gel matrix in the presence of polysaccharides, xanthan gum, and pectin. Based on the rheological analysis, the xanthan gum-containing emulsion gel formed a gel matrix with suitable strength and mucosal adhesiveness. In vitro dissolution tests demonstrated sustained drug release over 12 h, while in vivo pharmacokinetic studies revealed a significant increase in the T (up to 4.03 times) and area under the curve (up to 2.62 times). However, most of the drug was released within one day, distributing systemically and raising toxicity concerns, thus limiting its efficacy as a controlled drug delivery system. According to in vivo anti-adhesion efficacy evaluations, the xanthan gum/pectin emulsion gels, particularly F2 and F3, exhibited remarkable anti-adhesion capacity (P < 0.01). The emulsion gel formulation exhibited no cytotoxicity against fibroblasts or epithelial cell lines. Thus, the xanthan gum/pectin emulsion gel exhibits excellent anti-adhesion properties and could be developed as a drug delivery system.