Nipper Matthew E, Dixon J Brandon
Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Tel.: +404-385-3915.
Cardiovasc Eng Technol. 2011 Dec;2(4):296-308. doi: 10.1007/s13239-011-0054-6. Epub 2011 Jul 28.
The recent advances in our understanding of lymphatic physiology and the role of the lymphatics in actively regulating fluid balance, lipid transport, and immune cell trafficking has been furthered in part through innovations in imaging, tissue engineering, quantitative biology, biomechanics, and computational modeling. Interdisciplinary and bioengineering approaches will continue to be crucial to the progression of the field, given that lymphatic biology and function are intimately woven with the local microenvironment and mechanical loads experienced by the vessel. This is particularly the case in lymphatic diseases such as lymphedema where the microenvironment can be drastically altered by tissue fibrosis and adipocyte accumulation. In this review we will highlight contributions engineering and mechanics have made to lymphatic physiology and will discuss areas that will be important for future research.
我们对淋巴生理学以及淋巴管在积极调节液体平衡、脂质运输和免疫细胞运输中所起作用的理解，近来取得了进展，这在一定程度上得益于成像、组织工程、定量生物学、生物力学和计算建模等方面的创新。鉴于淋巴生物学和功能与淋巴管所处的局部微环境及机械负荷紧密相连，跨学科和生物工程方法对于该领域的发展仍将至关重要。在诸如淋巴水肿等淋巴疾病中尤其如此，在这些疾病中，组织纤维化和脂肪细胞堆积会极大地改变微环境。在本综述中，我们将重点介绍工程学和力学对淋巴生理学的贡献，并讨论对未来研究至关重要的领域。
