| abstract |
This invention encompasses a substantially homogeneous lipid chemoattractant released from stressed mammalian tissue which is a neutral lipid which is acid labile and stable to base and is stable in boiling water. This lipid recruits macrophages but not neutrophils to stressed tissue. The invention also encompasses a method for detecting injured tissue by detecting the presence of the above described lipid chemoattractant in body fluids such as urine, serum and saliva. The invention also includes a method for reducing recruitment of macrophages to injured tissue by reducing the amount of the above lipid chemoattractant or by blocking the interaction of this lipid chemoattractant with its macrophage binding site. The addition of this lipid chemoattractant to injured skin tissue promotes healing. |