Lymphatic vessels and capillaries

Lymphatic vessels and capillaries are a specialized vascular network essential for maintaining tissue fluid balance, facilitating immune cell trafficking, and absorbing dietary lipids. Unlike the closed blood circulatory system, the lymphatic system is a unidirectional drainage network that begins with blind-ended capillaries in the interstitial spaces of most tissues (NIH, 2023). These vessels are lined by a single layer of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) that possess unique structural features, such as button-like junctions in capillaries that allow for the entry of large molecules and cells (PubMed, 2021). In oncology, lymphatic vessels serve as a primary route for the metastatic spread of tumor cells to regional lymph nodes, a process often driven by tumor-secreted growth factors like VEGF-C (PubMed, 2022). Therapeutic targeting of the lymphatic system includes the use of mTOR and PI3K inhibitors to treat lymphatic malformations and the investigation of VEGFR-3 inhibitors to block lymphangiogenesis in cancer (StatPearls, 2023). Understanding the molecular regulation of these vessels is crucial for developing treatments for lymphedema, chronic inflammation, and various vascular overgrowth syndromes.

Other names

Lymphatic systemLymphatic vasculatureLymphaticsLymphatic network

Modulation of lymphangiogenesis through inhibition of the VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 signaling pathway; inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway to control lymphatic endothelial cell growth and malformation; reduction of lymphatic permeability and interstitial fluid pressure.