Moehrlen
Fakultäten » Medizinische Fakultät » Kinderspital: Chirurgische Klinik » Viszeral » Prof. Dr. Martin Meuli » Moehrlen
Current research project
| Title / Titel | Immune function after abdominal surgery: Assessment of postoperative biological alterations and definition of molecular targets for therapeutic intervention |
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| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | Postoperative and posttraumatic conditions impair cell mediated immune responses and increase the risk of infection or metastatic tumor spread. Mechanisms of operative trauma may cause: production of local eicosanoid, cytokine and growth factor liberation, haemorrhage and thrombocoagulative processes, cell and tissue oedema and destruction, and consecutive reactions that may down-regulate such partially inflammatory, necrotic or apoptotic cascades and initiate sub optimal or optimal repair mechanisms. Inherent modulators of the postoperative immune status may be the surgical tissue damage and in minimal invasive procedure also the gases used for pneumoperitoneum with their partial pressures including water vapour. The most commonly used gas for pneumoperitoneum, carbon dioxide has been implicated as a possible factor in compromised intraperitoneal immunity. Also the impact of tissue trauma demonstrated to influence the immune system. In abdominal surgery, the inflammation and immune status during wounding and repair seem to be interrelated in a complicated manner. The patients’ capacity to locally overcome infectious agents or neoplastic cells and prevent their spread is pivotal. Such repair of induced tissue trauma may also include down-regulation of inflammation. This most probably interrelates to immune reactions, and to anti-fibrotic reactions, consequently leading to either ad integrum restitution, or unfavourable residuals like scarring or adhesions. However, only few facts are known about those important regulations of immunity, inflammation and repair. Our intention is to elucidate the immunological processes taking place in minimal invasive surgery compared to open surgical approaches using a mouse model, established by our group. Our aim is to better understand the mechanisms of injury to be able to modulate those mechanisms and thus positively influence the outcome after abdominal surgery. We are focusing on the following questions: Which cells are implicated in the postoperative immune response? Which are the molecular mechanisms and mediators that are centrally implicated in modulating the immune status? Our aim is to define molecular targets that have to be known to successfully intervene with post-operative inflammation and immune suppression. We are convinced that such an intervention has to be initiated even before surgery. |
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| Publications / Publikationen | Impact of carbon dioxide versus air pneumoperitoneum on peritoneal cell migration and cell fate. Moehrlen U, Ziegler U, Boneberg E, Reichmann E, Gitzelmann CA, Meuli M, Hamacher J. Surg Endosc. 2006 Oct;20(10):1607-13. Epub 2006 Jul 3Early peritoneal macrophage function after laparoscopic surgery compared with laparotomy in a mouse mode. Moehrlen U, Schwoebel F, Reichmann E, Stauffer U, Gitzelmann CA, Hamacher J. Surg Endosc. 2005 Jul;19(7):958-63. Epub 2005 May 12. Erratum in: Surg Endosc. 2005 Nov;19(11):1516. Schwöbel, F [corrected to Schwoebel, F]. |
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| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | laparoscopy, laparatomy, mouse model, immune system, immunosuppression | ||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
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| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
Other Public Sources (e.g. Federal or Cantonal Agencies), Foundation |
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| In collaboration with / In Zusammenarbeit mit |
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| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Dec 2001 to Mar 2012 |