title: Activated omentum becomes rich in factors that promote healing and tissue regeneration.
abstract: In order to study the mechanism by which an omental pedicle promotes healing when applied to an injured site, we injected a foreign body into the abdominal cavity to activate the omentum. One week after the injection, we isolated the omentum and measured blood vessel density, blood content, growth and angiogenesis factors (VEGF and others), chemotactic factors (SDF-1 alpha), and progenitor cells (CXCR-4, WT-1). We found that the native omentum, which consisted mostly of adipose tissue, expanded the mass of its non-adipose part (milky spots) 15- to 20-fold. VEGF and other growth factors increased by two- to four-fold, blood vessel density by three-fold, and blood content by two-fold. The activated omentum also showed increases in SDF-1 alpha, CXCR-4, and WT-1 cells (factors and cells positively associated with tissue regeneration). Thus, we propose that an omentum activated by a foreign body (or by injury) greatly expands its milky-spot tissue and becomes rich in growth factors and progenitor cells that facilitate the healing and regeneration of injured tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
authors.forename: Natalia O
authors.initials: NO
authors.lastname: Litbarg
authors.forename: Krishnamurthy P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Gudehithlu
authors.forename: Perianna
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sethupathi
authors.forename: Jose A L
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Arruda
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dunea
authors.forename: Ashok K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000254:growth & development; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D019743:Chemokines, CXC / Q000378:metabolism; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009852:Omentum / Q000098:blood supply / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4 / Q000378:metabolism; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism; D025721:WT1 Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C515255:CXCL12 protein, human; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; C486264:Cxcr4 protein, rat; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D025721:WT1 Proteins; C467498:vascular endothelial growth factor A, rat