Lubrication of visceral movement and gastric motility by peritoneal surfactant.
Four studies are described as a means of evaluating the hypothesis that surface-active phospholipid (SAPL) enhances the lubrication of gastric motility and visceral movement in general. In the first two studies, a lipid extract from ovine peritoneal rinsings was found to have remarkable antiwear capabilities ex vivo and to reduce friction to a remarkably low level as quantified by a coefficient of kinetic friction of 0.008 +/- 0.002 (n = 10). Moreover, this lipid extract demonstrated both these features of lubrication at high load. In other studies, peritoneal lipid extract was found to be highly surface-active, while many lamellar bodies (LB) have been identified in omentum and, by analogy with the lung and the stomach, would therefore appear to be a source of SAPL. Lubrication by peritoneal surfactant is discussed as another example of a ubiquitous barrier to abrasion and other potential insults common to all visceral surfaces.
Paediatric Respiratory Research Centre, Mater Children's Hospital, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
B A
BA
Hills
D000818:Animals; D004848:Epithelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility / Q000502:physiology*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009852:Omentum; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000502:physiology*; D012756:Sheep; D013501:Surface-Active Agents
D010743:Phospholipids; D013501:Surface-Active Agents