The use of glue for biological purposes has been under study for a long time, an example is the adhesive composed of gelatin-resorcine and formaldehyde (COLAGEL®). The inflammatory reaction produced by the application of the adhesive on organic tissues encouraged the search for the component of the glue responsible for this reaction. Thus, the application of several fractions of the referred adhesive (gelatin-resorcine, formaldehyde, polymerized glue in situ and polymerized glue before the application) was accomplished in different groups of mice in the following periods: 2, 10, 30 and 60 days after surgery. Through the evaluation of histological sections, it was observed that all the groups presented, with different degrees of intensity, inflammatory polimorfonuclear infiltrate with a predominance of neutrophils. The group which received only the formaldehyde was the one that expressed a greater tissue reaction with a great amount of inflammatory infiltrate, dissociation of muscle fibers, angiogenesis and fibrosi. There was also great amount of infiltrate as a reaction to the polymerization in situ, adding to it intense fibrogenesis of the deep dermis and hypoderm, together with the degeneration of miocites and extensive areas of tissue necrosis. The group that received only the gelatin-resorcine reveled discrete polimorfonuclear infiltration, the same results occurred after the use of the glue previously polymerized. Therefore, the fraction of the COLAGEL® responsible for the greater inflammatory reaction was the polymerizing formaldehyde when it was applied to the tissue alone or polymerized in situ. The polymerization before the application turns the COLAGEL® less irritating to the tissue, therefore, this is the most convenient way of utilization.
adhesive; inflammation; mice
