Intraperitoneal injection of cultured mesothelial cells decrease CO2 pneumoperitoneum-enhanced adhesions in a laparoscopic mouse model

Mesothelial cells are involved in peritoneal repair, and they modulate adhesion formation. Intraperitoneal injection of cultured mesothelial cells can decrease adhesion formation. The importance of the amount of cells, of the culture methods or of the origin of the cells is still unknown. Female Balb/c mice were used in a CO2 pneumoperitoneum-enhanced adhesion formation model. Mesothelial cells were obtained from Balb/c mice and cultured over a 3-week period. Following a pilot experiment (n = 10) with injection of 400,000 mesothelial cells a dose–response study was performed with 400,000; 133,000; and 44,000 cells (n = 40). Adhesion formation decreased after the injection of cultured mesothelial cells as evidenced in the first (proportion p < 0.046, total adhesions: NS) and second experiment (p < 0.001 for proportion and total adhesions). The reduction was moreover dose dependent with a half maximal effect with some 100,000 cells. Intraperitoneal injection of cultured mesothelial cells can decrease CO2 pneumoperitoneum-enhanced adhesion formation in mice and the effect is dose dependent, the half maximum effect being obtained with some 100,000 cells, a number which is surprisingly similar to the number of cells harvested from one mouse.