Institute of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2010 May;293(5):754-61. doi: 10.1002/ar.21101.
Lymphatic stomata are small openings of lymphatic capillaries on the free surface of the mesothelium. The peritoneal cavity, pleural cavity, and pericardial cavity are connected with lymphatic system via these small openings, which have the function of active absorption. The ultrastructure of the lymphatic stomata and their absorption from the body cavities are important clinically, such as ascites elimination, neoplasm metastasis, and inflammatory reaction. The lymphatic stomata play an important role in the physiological and pathological conditions. Our previous study indicated for the first time that nitric oxide (NO) could regulate the opening and absorption of the lymphatic stomata. It could decrease the level of free intracellular calcium [Ca(2+)] through increasing the cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) level in the rat peritoneal mesothelial cells, thus regulating the lymphatic stomata. This process is related with the NO-cGMP-[Ca(2+)] signal pathway. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in understanding the development and the function of the lymphatic stomata. The ultrastructure and regulations of the lymphatic stomata are also discussed in this review.
淋巴孔是间皮游离面上的毛细淋巴管的小开口。这些小开口使腹腔、胸腔和心包腔与淋巴系统相连，具有主动吸收的功能。淋巴孔的超微结构及其从体腔吸收的功能在临床上很重要，如腹水排出、肿瘤转移和炎症反应。淋巴孔在生理和病理条件下起着重要作用。我们之前的研究首次表明，一氧化氮（NO）可以调节淋巴孔的开放和吸收。它可以通过增加大鼠腹膜间皮细胞中环鸟苷酸（cGMP）的水平来降低细胞内游离钙[Ca(2+)]的水平，从而调节淋巴孔。这个过程与 NO-cGMP-[Ca(2+)]信号通路有关。在这篇综述中，我们总结了对淋巴孔发育和功能的最新认识。本文还讨论了淋巴孔的超微结构及其调节。
