the effect of atorvastatin topical solution on preventing peritoneal adhesion in rats

Background: peritoneal adhesion is a critical postsurgical complication in abdominal and pelvic surgeries. due to their anti-inflammatory and fibrinolytic properties, statins are assumed to reduce peritoneal adhesions effectively. our study aimed to investigate the effects of atorvastatin topical solution on preventing postoperative peritoneal adhesion in rats.methods: twenty male wistar rats were used, and a 2–3 cm ventral midline incision was made under general anesthesia. the cecal abrasion model was used for the induction of peritoneal adhesion. four groups of five rats were used: normal saline (negative control), hydrocortisone 1% (positive control), atorvastatin 1%, and atorvastatin 4%. all rats were sacrificed on the fifth postoperative day. the adhesions were scored as 1 to 4 microscopically and 0 to 5 macroscopically. a histopathological study was performed on the cecum and adherent bands. a blood sample was also taken for high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-crp) analysis on day 5.results: histopathological evaluation showed that microscopic and macroscopic adhesion significantly decreased after using atorvastatin 4% compared to the normal saline group (p = 0.032 and p = 0.008, respectively). atorvastatin 4% also significantly reduced the level of hs-crp after abdominal surgery (p = 0.001). the results with atorvastatin 1% were insignificant.conclusion: atorvastatin 4% topical solution effectively prevented rat peritoneal adhesion, possibly through its anti-inflammatory effects. more extensive animal studies with atorvastatin and other statins and large human clinical trials are still needed to confirm the applicability and accuracy of the present findings.