Cueni Leah N, Detmar Michael
Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Lymphat Res Biol. 2008;6(3-4):109-22. doi: 10.1089/lrb.2008.1008.
The lymphatic vascular system has an important role in the regulation of tissue pressure, immune surveillance and the absorption of dietary fat in the intestine. There is growing evidence that the lymphatic system also contributes to a number of diseases, such as lymphedema, cancer metastasis and different inflammatory disorders. The discovery of various molecular markers allowing the distinction of blood and lymphatic vessels, together with the availability of a increasing number of in vitro and in vivo models to study various aspects of lymphatic biology, has enabled tremendous progress in research into the development and function of the lymphatic system. This review discusses recent advances in our understanding of the embryonic development of the lymphatic vasculature, the molecular mechanisms mediating lymphangiogenesis in the adult, the role of lymphangiogenesis in chronic inflammation and lymphatic cancer metastasis, and the emerging importance of the lymphatic vasculature as a therapeutic target.
淋巴血管系统在调节组织压力、免疫监视以及肠道膳食脂肪吸收方面发挥着重要作用。越来越多的证据表明，淋巴系统也与多种疾病有关，如淋巴水肿、癌症转移和不同的炎症性疾病。各种能够区分血管和淋巴管的分子标记物的发现，以及越来越多用于研究淋巴生物学各个方面的体外和体内模型，使得淋巴系统发育和功能的研究取得了巨大进展。本文综述了我们对淋巴管系统胚胎发育、介导成人淋巴管生成的分子机制、淋巴管生成在慢性炎症和淋巴癌转移中的作用以及淋巴管系统作为治疗靶点的新重要性的最新认识进展。
