ABSTRACT
The most common cause of intraperitoneal adhesion bands is previous abdominal surgery. Postoperative adhesion formation results from a fibroproliferative inflammatory reaction. The possibility of involvement of fibrogenic process in adhesion formation and the antifibrogenic effect of D-penicillamine led us to test the effectiveness of this drug as a possible preventive method for intraperitoneal adhesions. Eighty female rats were randomly divided into four equal groups of 20 rats. Generation of adhesion in rats introduced by intra peritoneal injection of 2.5 millilitre of a 10% sterile talc solution. The first group served as control, group 2 received oral D-penicillamine 35 milligram per kilogram per day, group 3 received oral colchicines 0.02 milligram per kilogram per day and group 4 received both drugs for three weeks. Formation of adhesion bands was then quantitatively graded in each group according to Nair classification. Severe adhesions [grade 3 and 4] were found in 20% of the D-penicilliamine administered group [group 2], whereas these types of adhesions were observed in 33% and 84% of colchicine administered groups [group 3] and the control group [group 1] respectively [p < 0.003]. Group 4 that had received both D.penicillamine and colchicine was omitted from the study due to a high mortality rate. Adhesion bands in D-penicillamine group were thinner and smoother in comparison to other groups. Lower grades of adhesions were found in the D-penicillamine group in comparison to the colchicine and control groups. Therefore it seems that D-penicillamine may be effective in the prevention of formation of adhesion bands in the rat