MESOTHELIAL CELLS

• Published in: Peritoneal dialysis international Vol. 27; no. Supplement_2; pp. S110 - 115
• Main Authors: Yung, Susan, Chan, Tak Mao
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Milton, ON Multimed 01.06.2007
• Subjects: Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blood. Blood and plasma substitutes. Blood products. Blood cells. Blood typing. Plasmapheresis. Apheresis; Cell Culture Techniques; Cell Differentiation; Emergency and intensive care: renal failure. Dialysis management; Epithelial Cells - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Intensive care medicine; Intestine. Mesentery; Kidney Failure, Chronic - pathology; Kidney Failure, Chronic - therapy; Medical sciences; Peritoneal Dialysis; Peritoneum - cytology; Transfusions. Complications. Transfusion reactions. Cell and gene therapy; Vertebrates: digestive system; Kidney disease; Extrarenal dialysis; Senescence; Urinary system disease; Mesothelial cells; proliferation; Renal failure; Omentum; Peritoneal dialysis; Peritoneum
• ISSN: 0896-8608; 1718-4304
• DOI: 10.1177/089686080702702s19

Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, PR China Correspondence to: S. Yung, Department of Medicine, Room 302, New Clinical Building, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, PR China. ssyyung{at}hkucc.hku.hk Background : The introduction of peritoneal dialysis (PD) as a modality of renal replacement therapy has provoked much interest in the biology of the peritoneal mesothelial cell. Mesothelial cells isolated from omental tissue have immunohistochemical markers that are identical to those of mesothelial stem cells, and omental mesothelial cells can be cultivated in vitro to study changes to their biologic functions in the setting of PD. Method : The present article describes the structure and function of mesothelial cells in the normal peritoneum and details the morphologic changes that occur after the introduction of PD. Furthermore, this article reviews the literature of mesothelial cell culture and the limitations of in vitro studies. Results : The mesothelium is now considered to be a dynamic membrane that plays a pivotal role in the homeostasis of the peritoneal cavity, contributing to the control of fluid and solute transport, inflammation, and wound healing. These functional properties of the mesothelium are compromised in the setting of PD. Cultures of peritoneal mesothelial cells from omental tissue provide a relevant in vitro model that allows researchers to assess specific molecular pathways of disease in a distinct population of cells. Structural and functional attributes of mesothelial cells are discussed in relation to long-term culture, proliferation potential, age of tissue donor, use of human or animal in vitro models, and how the foregoing factors may influence in vitro data. Conclusions : The ability to propagate mesothelial cells in culture has resulted, over the past two decades, in an explosion of mesothelial cell research pertaining to PD and peritoneal disorders. Independent researchers have highlighted the potential use of mesothelial cells as targets for gene therapy or transplantation in the search to provide therapeutic strategies for the preservation of the mesothelium during chemical or bacterial injury. KEY WORDS: Mesothelial cells; omentum; peritoneum; senescence; proliferation.