['Evaluating the influence of sodium hyaluronate on the proliferation rate of attached and nonattached human peritoneal mesothelial cells to elucidate whether this is a possible mechanism of action in peritoneal tissue repair.', 'Controlled laboratory experiment.', 'A university hospital.', 'Five patients undergoing colorectal surgery for noninfectious reasons.', 'Human peritoneal mesothelial cells were harvested from patients undergoing a laparotomy for noninfectious reasons. Cells, both nonattached and attached, were incubated for 4 and 24 hours with different concentrations of sodium hyaluronate. Thereafter, the cell proliferation rate was measured by XTT (2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-car boxanilide) colorimetric assay. To mimic peritoneal injury, the cells were exposed to tumor necrosis factor alpha and/or lipopolysaccharide and were incubated immediately or after 24 hours of exposure to 0% or 0.2% sodium hyaluronate. Afterward, the cell proliferation rate was measured.', 'Proliferation rate measured by XTT assay.', "Sodium hyaluronate significantly increased the proliferation rate of mesothelial cells, both in a nonattached (P<.005) and attached (P<.001) state. Exposure of the mesothelial cells to tumor necrosis factor alpha and/or lipopolysaccharide diminished the cells' proliferation rate. However, incubation of these exposed cells with 0.2% sodium hyaluronate significantly increased the proliferation rate, regardless of whether the sodium hyaluronate was added immediately (P<.001) or after 24 hours (P<.001)."] Does the antiadhesive agent sodium hyaluronate increase the proliferation rate of human peritoneal mesothelial cells?