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Pycnogenol prevents peritoneal adhesions

  • General Gynecology
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

This study tested the ability of pycnogenol, an extract from the bark of the French maritime pine (Pinus pinaster), to prevent intra-abdominal adhesions.

Methods

Thirty female Wistar albino rats were separated randomly into three equal groups: Group (1) the control group, which underwent surgery, but was given no drug; Group (2) given 10 mg/kg of pycnogenol dissolved in normal saline intraperitoneally for 10 days after surgery; and Group (3) given 0.1 mL of normal saline for 10 days intraperitoneally after surgery. On post-operative day 10, all of the animals were killed and any adhesions were evaluated macroscopically and histopathologically.

Results

The macroscopic adhesion scores (mean ± SD) for Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 2.5 ± 0.53, 0.60 ± 0.70, and 2.0 ± 0.82, respectively. The macroscopic adhesion score was significantly lower in Group 2 than in Groups 1 and 3 (p < 0.001). All three components of the histopathological evaluation (inflammation, fibrosis, and neovascularization) were significantly lower in Group 2 than in Groups 1 or 3 (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p = 0.004, respectively).

Conclusions

Pycnogenol was found to be effective at preventing surgery-related adhesions in an animal model.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Assistant Professor Furuzan Kokturk, Bulent Ecevit University School of Medicine, Department of Biostatistics, for the statistical analysis of the data, and Doctor Humeyra Cicekler for her technical support.

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University, Kozlu, Zonguldak, Turkey

    Ahmet Sahbaz, Oner Aynioglu & Hatice Isik

  2. School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University, Kozlu, Zonguldak, Turkey

    Banu Dogan Gun

  3. Experimental Animal Research Laboratory, School of Medicine, Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University, Kozlu, Zonguldak, Turkey

    Osman Cengil

  4. Department of Gynecological Oncology, Antalya Education and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey

    Onur Erol

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  1. Ahmet Sahbaz
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  2. Oner Aynioglu
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Correspondence to Ahmet Sahbaz.

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Sahbaz, A., Aynioglu, O., Isik, H. et al. Pycnogenol prevents peritoneal adhesions. Arch Gynecol Obstet 292, 1279–1284 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-015-3764-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-015-3764-4

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