This article selects 11 representative studies published from 2007—2026, covering work by teams from China, Turkey, South Korea, Russia, and other regions, and presents a narrative review. The content has been independently summarized by TONGLI based on the original literature; the research stages are indicated in the text, and the research findings belong to their original authors.
01What problems must postoperative adhesion barrier membranes address?
Postoperative adhesion barrier membranes are typically designed as temporary barriers to reduce unwanted connections between adjacent tissues while damaged tissue repairs. The material must cover the target site while accommodating body fluids, tissue movement and degradation. For developers, the first questions are where the membrane will be placed, what contact conditions it must maintain and which normal function it is intended to protect.2,5,6,7
| Application | Material design priorities | Key evaluation focuses in the literature |
|---|---|---|
| Intraperitoneal adhesion barrier membrane | Wet-state adhesion, coverage integrity, degradation, and barrier duration | Extent and degree of adhesion, tissue response 2,4,7 |
| Tendon adhesion barrier membrane | Encapsulation and sliding, wet-state dimensional stability, and range of motion at the repair site | Tendon glide, joint mobility, and repair strength 5,8 |
| Pericardial and cardiac surface barriers | Stability under continuous motion, fixation or suturing, and function of both interfaces | Adhesion, tissue response, and repair function 6,11 |
One issue that must be distinguished during the design phase is that cell culture scaffolds often encourage cells to penetrate the fibrous network, whereas adhesion barriers must limit unwanted cell migration across them. Therefore, fine fibers, high porosity, or an extracellular matrix-like structure alone do not indicate that a membrane is suitable for preventing adhesions; it is also necessary to assess whether it can maintain effective isolation in a wet state.7,8
02What structural options does electrospinning offer for adhesion barrier membranes?
Existing studies have used materials such as polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), and poly(lactic acid-caprolactone) copolymers (PLCL) to construct fibrous scaffolds, followed by blending, layering, or surface treatments to modify the tissue-contacting interface. Electrospinning can be used to produce an entire membrane or a single layer within a composite membrane that provides support or barrier function.1,4,6,10
Hydrophilic composites and surface coatings
Hyaluronic acid, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) have been used to modify wetting and surface cell adhesion behaviors. Approaches include incorporating hydrophilic components into the fibers, constructing bilayer membranes, or forming coatings on fibrous scaffolds. The corresponding design question is whether the membrane’s swelling, component loss, and wet-state strength still meet application requirements after surface properties are altered.2,4,10
Local drug loading and bilayer functional structures
Drug-loaded fibers combine physical isolation with local release; bilayer membranes with different functions on each side (Janus) attempt to have one side participate in fixation or repair while the other provides low adhesion, lubrication, or isolation. These structures enable materials to allocate functions according to specific interfaces, but further validation of the release process, interlayer bonding, and normal healing is required.3,6,9,11
03Intraperitoneal adhesion barrier membranes: from fibrous barriers to hydrophilic composites
Early exploration of PCL fibrous membranes and local release
In 2007, Bölgen et al. applied PCL electrospun membranes and PCL membranes containing antibacterial drugs to a rat abdominal wall injury model, evaluating adhesions through gross and histological observations. This work was among the earliest to demonstrate the concept of using a fibrous barrier as a local drug carrier.1
Bilayer Membrane and PEG/PLGA Composite Membrane
In 2013, Jiang et al. combined a hyaluronic acid-containing PCL layer with an outer PCL layer to form a bilayer membrane, which was evaluated in rat cecal abrasion and abdominal wall injury models. Observations on postoperative day 14 supported its antiadhesive effect. The design insight is that the support layer and hydrophilic functional component can be arranged separately, followed by evaluation of the overall barrier.2
In 2017, Li et al. further compared electrospun membranes with different PEG proportions of PEG/PLGA. The study also examined structure, degradation, and antiadhesion performance in the peritoneal cavity of rats; under the conditions of this study, the 5% PEG formulation achieved relatively good overall results. This suggests that hydrophilic components should be designed together with the fibrous scaffold, and increasing their amount does not necessarily lead to better overall performance.4
EGCG Drug-Loading Fibrous Membrane
In 2014, Shin et al. incorporated epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) into PLGA nanofibers to study sustained release, antioxidant behavior, and antiadhesive performance in a rat peritoneal model. This extended the research question from simple tissue isolation to local reaction regulation. The aforementioned peritoneal studies are all animal experiments, suitable for understanding material design but not directly applicable as conclusions about human efficacy.3
04Tendon Antiadhesion Membrane: Coordinating Isolation and Sliding
Fibrous membranes around tendons must balance reducing exogenous scar interference, preserving sliding space, and allowing normal healing. In a 2019 study, Chen et al. evaluated adhesions in a rabbit flexor tendon repair model using a water-based polyurethane electrospun membrane, and examined joint mobility, tendon gliding, and mechanical indicators. The evaluation thus extended from cellular behavior on the membrane surface to functional movement; these results remain animal-based validations.5
The chitosan/PVA/PCL multicomponent fibrous membrane reported by Wang Mengjiao et al. in 2024 focused on wet-state curling, structural and mechanical stability, and included fibroblast-related evaluations. This material and in vitro study indicate that when preparing tendon-covering samples, the shape and dimensional retention after wetting should be assessed alongside the dry-state morphology.8
05Pericardial Antiadhesion Membrane and Janus Patch: Balancing Movement and Repair
A study published by Jin et al. in 2022 combined PLCL nanofibers, PVA aerogel, and melatonin to construct a sutureable composite membrane, which was observed for up to 3 months postoperatively in rabbit pericardial reconstruction experiments. The study evaluated operability, tissue response, and antiadhesion together, demonstrating that a pericardial barrier must accommodate both fixation and continuous movement rather than merely pursuing low surface adhesion.6
Bifunctional membranes further subdivide this design. In 2024, Wang et al. reported in ACS Nano a Janus patch featuring a zwitterionic lubricating surface and a fibrous layer containing cerium oxide, and conducted studies using rat skin wound and uterine injury models. The two sides assume different functions, providing a concept for simultaneously considering tissue repair and external antiadhesion; however, these results cannot be directly extrapolated to other surgical sites.9
A study published by Lv et al. in 2026 combined a bioadhesive layer, mitochondrial delivery, and a lubricating electrospun outer layer for repair and antiadhesion in a rat myocardial infarction model. This reflects the direction of cardiac repair patches in managing external tissue contact, and represents animal-stage composite material research.11
Another example focusing more on fabrication combinations is the work by Badaraev et al. in 2025, in which a PVA coating was formed on an electrospun PLGA scaffold to evaluate structure, mechanics, and cell adhesion. This work remains at the material and in vitro stages, but demonstrates that the fiber scaffold and subsequent coating can jointly determine the final interface, rather than requiring a single process to fulfill all functions.10
06What Evidence Do Human Studies Provide for Electrospun Antiadhesion Membranes?
A paper by Xu et al. in 2022 studied an electrospun membrane composed of PLGA and PLA-b-PEG. In addition to rat and minipig experiments, it reported a randomized study involving patients from 4 centers in China and a total of 150 cases. The supplementary materials state that patients were enrolled in 2011—2012, using a single-blind, blank-controlled parallel design, with the control group receiving no antiadhesion product.7
The authors reported a reduction in short-term adhesion occurrence. The primary adhesion assessment was conducted at 6—8 weeks postoperatively via ultrasound and MRI; some eligible participants underwent laparoscopy, with a total observation period of 12 weeks. This provides human study evidence for a specific material under specific surgical conditions, but cannot be used to infer that long-term intestinal obstruction, reoperation, or chronic pain will all be reduced, nor can it demonstrate that all electrospun membranes exhibit the same performance.7
07From Literature Protocols to Reproducible Antiadhesion Membrane Samples
Synthesizing these studies, antiadhesion membrane development can focus on three questions: whether the membrane can maintain coverage in a wet state, whether the tissue-contact interface meets the design objective, and whether the isolation effect is coordinated with normal repair. Correspondingly, in electrospinning fabrication, formulation, fiber structure, composite steps, and sample evaluation must be linked together.2,4,5,6,7,8,10
Define the Sample First, Then Discuss Equipment Configuration
If comparing the material formulations of PLGA or PCL membranes, one should first specify sample dimensions, thickness or basis weight, fiber morphology, and sampling methods. For bilayer or Janus membranes, the functions of each layer, deposition sequence, and posttreatment methods must also be described. Only on this basis can discussions of solution supply, nozzle, collection method, and environmental control be anchored to specific sample targets.
Place Dry-State Membrane Formation and Wet-State Use on the Same Validation Path
In addition to observing fiber morphology, research samples should also be evaluated for wet-state shrinkage, swelling, strength, interlayer bonding, and barrier integrity according to their intended use. Residual solvents, biocompatibility, sterilization effects, and degradation behavior are matters of material and product validation that must be addressed in the context of the specific system and cannot be substituted by equipment parameters.4,6,7,8,10
Retain Comparable Process Records When Scaling Up Fabrication
When increasing sample area or fabrication time, material batches, solution conditions, solution supply, electric field, temperature and humidity, collection speed, and posttreatment can be correlated with sample test results. Continuous fabrication requires validation of effective width, deposition per unit area, and batch consistency, with the goal of reliably transferring the clearly defined structural requirements from the laboratory to larger dimensions.
08Common Issues in Antiadhesion Membrane Material R&D
Which Is More Suitable for Preparing Antiadhesion Membranes: PLGA or PCL?
Both have been studied in the literature, but suitability cannot be determined solely from polymer names. Material specifications, composite components, wet-state structure, degradation process, and application site must all be considered, followed by comparative testing.1,2,4,7
Do Antiadhesion Membranes Necessarily Need to Be Drug-Loaded?
Not necessarily. Existing studies have explored physical barriers, hydrophilic interfaces, drug-loaded fibers, and bifunctional structures separately. Whether to incorporate active components depends on the problem to be solved and whether the corresponding release and biological validation can support the design objective.2,3,4,9,10
Which Step Can Electrospinning Equipment Participate In?
It can be used in the preparation of fibrous skeletons, blended fibers, or layered fiber structures, and can also be integrated with coating, drying, and other composite processes. First, the structure of the entire membrane and the role of the electrospun layer must be specified, followed by the selection of the corresponding liquid supply and collection configuration.2,6,10
References
The following are the original studies used in this article. The interpretation of the studies does not imply that the paper authors or research institutions have any equipment procurement or cooperative relationship with TONGLI. References [9] and [11] were compiled based on the original abstracts and bibliographic information; the remaining references were verified by reading the full texts.
Bibliographic records retain the original publication language for accurate lookup.
Bölgen N, Vargel I, Korkusuz P, et al. In vivo performance of antibiotic embedded electrospun PCL membranes for prevention of abdominal adhesions. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B, 2007, 81(2):530–543.
DOI：10.1002/jbm.b.30694 ↗Jiang S, Wang W, Yan H, Fan C. Prevention of Intra-Abdominal Adhesion by Bi-Layer Electrospun Membrane. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2013, 14:11861–11870.
DOI：10.3390/ijms140611861 ↗Shin YC, Yang WJ, Lee JH, et al. PLGA nanofiber membranes loaded with epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate are beneficial to prevention of postsurgical adhesions. International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2014, 9:4067–4078.
DOI：10.2147/IJN.S68197 ↗Li J, Zhu J, He T, et al. Prevention of intra-abdominal adhesion using electrospun PEG/PLGA nanofibrous membranes. Materials Science and Engineering C, 2017, 78:988–997.
DOI：10.1016/j.msec.2017.04.017 ↗Chen SH, Chou PY, Chen ZY, Lin FH. Electrospun Water-Borne Polyurethane Nanofibrous Membrane as a Barrier for Preventing Postoperative Peritendinous Adhesion. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2019, 20(7):1625.
DOI：10.3390/ijms20071625 ↗Jin D, Yang S, Wu S, et al. A functional PVA aerogel-based membrane obtaining sutureability through modified electrospinning technology and achieving promising anti-adhesion effect after cardiac surgery. Bioactive Materials, 2022, 10:355–366.
DOI：10.1016/j.bioactmat.2021.08.013 ↗Xu S, Wang C, Mao R, et al. Surface structure change properties: Auto-soft bionic fibrous membrane in reducing postoperative adhesion. Bioactive Materials, 2022, 12:16–29.
DOI：10.1016/j.bioactmat.2021.10.040 ↗汪孟姣, 吴新康, 王富军, 等. 具有力学与结构稳定性多组分纤维肌腱防粘连膜制备及性能. 生物医学工程与临床, 2024, 28(5):602–610.
DOI：10.13339/j.cnki.sglc.20240819.018 ↗Wang Q, Du J, Meng J, et al. Janus Nanofibrous Patch with In Situ Grown Superlubricated Skin for Soft Tissue Repair with Inhibited Postoperative Adhesion. ACS Nano, 2024, 18(19):12341–12354.
DOI：10.1021/acsnano.4c01370 ↗Badaraev AD, Plotnikov EV, Bukal VR, et al. Fabrication of PVA Coatings Applied to Electrospun PLGA Scaffolds to Prevent Postoperative Adhesions. Journal of Functional Biomaterials, 2025, 16(2):57.
DOI：10.3390/jfb16020057 ↗Lv Y, Zhou X, Wang M, et al. Mitochondria-Loaded Janus Cardiac Patch for Myocardial Infarction Repair and Prevention of Tissue Adhesions. ACS Nano, 2026, 20(1):1462–1480.
DOI：10.1021/acsnano.5c18334 ↗
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