Non-clinical safety study of a sugarcane bacterial cellulose hydrogel

Abstract

A hydrogel of bacterial cellulose of 0.8%, biopolymer produced from sugarcane molasses and synthesized from a bacteria called Zoogloea sp., was analyzed for its composition and tested by two routes of administration, subcutaneous and intraperitoneal, to clarify the local and systemic adverse effects after skin implantation in Wistar rats (24 males, 24 females, 55 days old). Analysis of two samples of BC films indicates carbon (42.94%; 43.43%), hydrogen (6.73%; 6.76%), nitrogen (0.28%, 0.23%) and oxygen (50.05%, 49.58%). No abnormal behavior, clinical signs of chronic toxicity or inflammation were observed. There was no change in liver injury biomarker levels (ALT, AST and ALP), as well as in renal histology, where it was evaluated to signs of tubular cell injury, glomerular or vascular damage, and renal morphometry, in which it was quantified the number of renal corpuscles, the number of cells per glomerulus and the capsular space area. Thus, the absence of signs and symptoms of toxicity suggests that subcutaneous or intraperitoneal injections of these polymers may be used in clinical situations.