The Peritoneum: From Histological Studies to Mesothelial Transplant through Animal Experimentation

Abstract

Normal peritoneal anatomy is dramatically altered by several stimuli, one of which is the presence of peritoneal dialysis solutions (PDS) in the abdomen (1‐3). The distress induced by these commercial dialysis solutions manifests as rapid mesothelial changes, vascular alterations, and peritoneal sclerosis (PS) (4,5). These alterations start with the beginning of dialysis treatment and are accelerated by episodes of peritonitis, leading to gradual replacement of peritoneum by fibrous tissue (6,7). Efforts have been made to understand the role of commercial PDS and to prepare more biocompatible dialysis solutions (8‐10). Mesothelial cell cultures allow us to study the behavior of these cells in normal conditions and during peritoneal dialysis (PD), but to explore the submesothelial layer it is necessary to experiment