Earlier this month, Dr. Lisbeth Berrueta, Research Associate and laboratory manager for the Osher Center’s Connective Tissue Lab received the Musculoskeletal Research Center’s $500 Best Paper Award from Dr. Nancy Shadick, a co-chair of the BRI Musculoskeletal Research Center.

Dr. Lisbeth Berrueta was awarded for her paper published in the Journal of Cellular Physiology (2016) entitiled ‘Stretching Impacts Inflammation Resolution in Connective Tissue.’

Authors: Lisbeth Berrueta, Igla Muskaj, Sara Olenich, Taylor Butler, Gary J. Badger, Romain A Colas, Matthew Spite, Charles N. Serhan, and Helene M. Langevin

Highlights:

• Stretching by itself, decreased acute inflammation in vivo.
• Ex vivo stretching of connective tissue reduced neutrophil migration within the tissue, a central aspect of the acute inflammatory response.
• Finally, we show that stretching increases tissue specialized pro-resolvin mediators (SPMs) both in vivo and in vitro, demonstrating a mechanical direct effect of stretching on inflammation resolution molecules within the connective tissue.
• These results reveal important new interactions between musculoskeletal and immune systems that could potentially be used therapeutically.