Dose- and Time-Dependent Systemic Adverse Reactions of Sodium Carboxy Methyl Cellulose after Intraperitoneal Application in Rats

Background: Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose (SCMC) is an important absorbable biomaterial for anti-adhesion and hemostasis medical devices used in the abdominal cavity. However, the systemic toxicity of SCMC following intraperitoneal route has not been revealed sufficiently. Results: : 3 SCMC solutions with gradient concentrations were intraperitoneally injected into 3 group rats respectively all at once to observe the dose-dependence of systemic reactions of SCMC and 10 rats of each group were sacrificed 3d, 7d, 28d and 90d after injection to evaluate the time-dependence of the reactions. A range of adverse effects were shown in rats of high-dose(2000mg/kg) group which were found varied with time extending and virtually disappeared 90 days after injection. Slight reactions were observed in medium-dose(320mg/kg) group while negligible effects were found in low-dose(50mg/kg) group. Conclusion: The intraperitoneal application of SCMC can induce reversible systemic adverse effects to rats at the dose higher than 320mg/kg and it is essential to take both dose- and time-dependent effects into account while designing a systemic toxicity study for absorbable biomaterials.