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Creation of Abdominal Adhesions in Mice
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Midkine, a heparin-binding cytokine, plays key roles in intraperitoneal adhesions

Kazuhiko Inoh1, Hisako Muramatsu, Keiko Ochiai

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
|March 30, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Midkine, a growth factor, plays a key role in forming intraperitoneal adhesions after surgery. Reducing midkine levels significantly decreased adhesion formation by limiting inflammatory cell migration.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Immunology
  • Surgical Research

Background:

  • Midkine is a heparin-binding growth factor involved in inflammatory responses.
  • Intraperitoneal adhesions are a common complication following abdominal surgery, particularly partial hepatectomy.
  • The specific role of midkine in adhesion formation remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of midkine in the formation of intraperitoneal adhesions.
  • To determine if midkine influences the migration of inflammatory leukocytes to adhesion sites.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized midkine-deficient mice and wild-type mice in a partial hepatectomy model.
  • Developed a novel assay to quantify omental adhesion to the injured peritoneal wall.
  • Administered exogenous midkine to deficient mice to assess its effect on adhesion.

Main Results:

  • Midkine-deficient mice exhibited significantly reduced incidence and area of intraperitoneal adhesions compared to wild-type mice.
  • Administration of midkine to deficient mice increased adhesion formation.
  • Reduced migration of macrophages and neutrophils to the omentum was observed in midkine-deficient mice.

Conclusions:

  • Midkine is a significant contributor to the development of intraperitoneal adhesions.
  • Midkine promotes adhesion formation, at least partially, by enhancing the migration of macrophages and neutrophils to the omentum.

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