Enterosgel: A Novel Organosilicon Enterosorbent with a Wide Range of Medical Applications

Enterosgel (R) is a polymethylsiloxane based hydrogel produced by polycondensation of methylsilicic acid with the loss of water and formation of siloxane bonds ( Si-O-Si ). Upon organosilica gel drying, a solid mesoporous adsorbent (xerogel) with specific surface area of up to 300 m(2)g(-1) is formed. The xerogel content in the medicinal preparation Enterosgel is about 7%. The sorption process by Enterosgel follows two mechanisms molecular adsorption and co-sedimentation in the gel. Compared with activated carbons most commonly used as oral sorbents (enterosorbents), Enterosgel possesses lower capacity towards compounds with molecular weight below 1,500 Da, but it is a much more potent adsorbent than activated carbons in its binding ability towards high molecular weight compounds such as proteins and bacterial endotoxins. In many experimental and clinical studies which evaluated oral use of Enterosgel for treatment of wound infection, abdominal sepsis, ischemic hypoxia, acute intestinal infections, viral hepatitis, complications of chemo- and radiotherapy of cancer, it has been demonstrated that enterosorption led to normalization of intestinal microflora, suppression of lipid peroxidation and oxidative modification of plasma proteins, restoration of detoxifying and synthetic liver functions, improvement of renal functions, as well as decreased manifestations of systemic toxicity. These useful sorptive properties along with positive clinical results allow the consideration of Enterosgel as an effective enterosorbent and open a wide potential for its use in combined treatment of diseases requiring long-term oral chemotherapy, such as tuberculosis, AIDS, rheumatoid arthritis and viral hepatitis C.