The Development of Novel Anti-Sticking Film Using Lipophilic Nanoparticle - Encapsulated Curcumin into Switterionic Hydrogel

Tendon adhesion is often present post-surgery. Tendon adhesion is one of the most concerning complications after surgical repair of flexor tendon injury. Tendon adhesion binds the flexor tendons with each other, which restricts normal tendon gliding and consequently leads to poor functional recovery. In spite of improvements in surgical technique and postoperative mobilization, post-operative tendon adhesion still presents a major clinical problem in surgery. There are some methods to prevent sticking in clinic, including the use of some drugs, fluid instillation or the use of physicalmembrane. However, these methods still have some limitations. The rapid development of anti-sticking membrane is a potential solution to solve these sticking problems. Zwitterionic polymers are highly hydrophilic, neuroneutral properties and have excellent to the effect to anti-fouling and anti-bacterial adsorption. They are widely used in the coating of biomaterials. Curcumin shows strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. In a rat tendon injury model, curcumin significantly improved the healing and function of injured tendon. In previous study, lipophilic gold nanorods (GNRs) and curcumin has been developed and used for in vivo treatment. This project aim at using GNR-coated curcumin in combination of previous zwitterionic polymers to develop a new anti-sticking membrane. Furthermore, we investigate the effects of this membrane on tendon healing and adhesion in a rat model and evaluate the potential in clinical applications.