Reversible Mechanical Contraception and Endometriosis Treatment Using Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogels

Alexandre H C Anthis, Samuel Kilchenmann, Manon Murdeu, Paige J LeValley, Morris Wolf, Charlotte Meyer, Oscar Cipolato, Mark W Tibbitt, Jachym Rosendorf, Jáchym Rosendorf, Václav Liška, Vaclav Liska, Thomas Rduch, Inge K Herrmann
Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) · 2024 · vol. 36(23) , pp. e2310301 · doi:10.1002/adma.202310301 · PMID:38298130 · W4391442978
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This study developed stimuli-responsive hydrogels for reversible fallopian tube occlusion, demonstrating their potential for contraception and mechanical prevention of endometriosis.

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Abstract

Female sterilization via fallopian tube ligation is a common procedure; However, after the operation, over 10% of women seek re-fertilization, which is frequently unsuccessful. In addition, there is evidence that fallopian tubes contribute to the spread of endometriotic tissue as they serve as channels for proinflammatory media entering the abdominal cavity via retrograde menstruation. Here, stimuli-degradable hydrogel implants are presented for the functional, biocompatible, and reversible occlusion of fallopian tubes. The hydrogel implants, designed with customized swelling properties, mechanically occlude fallopian tubes in a high-performance manner with burst pressures reaching 255-558 mmHg, exceeding normal abdominal pressures (95 mmHg). Their damage-free removal can be achieved within 30 min using near-visible UV light or a glutathione solution, employing a method akin to standard fallopian tube perfusion diagnostics. Ultrasound-guided implant placement is demonstrated using a clinical hysteroscope in a human-scale uterus model and biocompatibility in a porcine in vivo model. Importantly, the prevention of live sperm as well as endometrial cell passage through blocked fallopian tubes is demonstrated. Overall, a multifunctional system is presented that constitutes a possible means of on-demand, reversible contraception along with the first-ever mechanical approach to abdominal endometriosis prevention and treatment.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (52)

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License: CC0 · commercial use OK