Lubrication of visceral movement and gastric motility by peritoneal surfactant

Four studies are described as a means of evaluating the hypothesis that surface-active phospholipid (SAPL) enhances the lubrication of gastric motility and visceral movement in general. In the first two studies, a lipid extract from ovine peritoneal rinsings was found to have remarkable antiwear capabilities ex vivo and to reduce friction to a remarkably low level as quantified by a coefficient of kinetic friction of 0.008 +/- 0.002 (n = 10). Moreover, this lipid extract demonstrated both these features of lubrication at high load. In other studies, peritoneal lipid extract was found to be highly surface-active, while many lamellar bodies (LB) have been identified in omentum and, by analogy with the lung and the stomach, would therefore appear to be a source of SAPL. Lubrication by peritoneal surfactant is discussed as another example of a ubiquitous barrier to abrasion and other potential insults common to all visceral surfaces.