Intraperitoneal microbial contamination drives post-surgical peritoneal adhesions by mesothelial EGFR-signaling.

ABSTRACT: Abdominal surgeries are lifesaving procedures but can be complicated by the formation of peritoneal adhesions, intra-abdominal scars that cause intestinal obstruction, pain, infertility, and significant health costs. Despite this burden, the mechanisms underlying adhesion formation remain unclear and no cure exists. Here, we show that contamination of gut microbes increases post-surgical adhesion formation. Using genetic lineage tracing we show that adhesion myofibroblasts arise from the mesothelium. This transformation is driven by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling. The EGFR ligands amphiregulin and heparin-binding epidermal growth factor, are sufficient to induce these changes. Correspondingly, EGFR inhibition leads to a significant reduction of adhesion formation in mice

SUBMITTER: Zindel J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8677808 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature