文摘
Biological lung volume reduction (BLVR) using lung sealant has received more attention recently as a new non-surgical approach to emphysema treatment. Many tissue sealants have been studied but only a few have been proposed for BLVR. In this work, we prepared in situ forming chitosan-based hydrogels (CSG) using covalent cross-linking of chitosan and genipin in the cooperation of ionic interaction between chitosan and sodium orthophosphate hydrate (Na3sub>PO4sub>·12H2sub>O) and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and rheological methods. CSG showed short gelation time (8?min), high swelling ratio (>100?%) and non-toxicity (3T3 mouse fibroblast cell viability >80?%) under physiological conditions. The application of lung sealant for BLVR was tested in a Chinese dog and evaluated by chest computed tomography. After 3?weeks of the installation of CSG in bronchopulmonary segment, the gel formation was detected at a localized region of bronchi and the local atelectasis occurred. Our findings indicate that this chitosan-based hydrogel is a promising new candidate for use as a lung sealant for BLVR.