Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
Institute of Parkinson and Movement Disorder, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
Front Immunol. 2021 Jun 14;12:692051. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.692051. eCollection 2021.
The meningeal lymphatic vessels (mLVs) in central nervous system (CNS) have been validated by rodent and human studies. The mLVs play a vital role in draining soluble molecules and trafficking lymphocytes, antigens and antibodies from CNS into cervical lymph nodes (CLNs). This indicates that mLVs may serve as a link between the CNS and peripheral immune system, perhaps involving in the neuroinflammatory disease. However, the morphology and drainage function of mLVs in patients with neuroinflammatory disease, such as neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), remains unexplored. Using the dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI), we found that slower flow through mLVs along superior sagittal sinus in NMOSD patients with acute attack instead of NMOSD patients in chronic phase. The reduced flow in mLVs correlated with the disease severity evaluated by expanded disability status scale (EDSS). The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) indicated DCE-MRI might provide objective evidence to predict the acute relapse of NMOSD through evaluating the function of mLVs. Promoting or restoring the function of mLVs might be a new target for the treatment of NMOSD relapse.
脑膜淋巴管 (mLVs) 在中枢神经系统 (CNS) 中的作用已被啮齿动物和人类研究证实。mLVs 在从 CNS 向颈淋巴结 (CLNs) 引流可溶性分子和运输淋巴细胞、抗原和抗体方面发挥着重要作用。这表明 mLVs 可能是 CNS 和外周免疫系统之间的联系，可能与神经炎症性疾病有关。然而，神经炎症性疾病患者（如视神经脊髓炎谱系疾病 (NMOSD)）的 mLVs 的形态和引流功能仍未得到探索。使用动态对比增强磁共振成像 (DCE-MRI)，我们发现 NMOSD 急性发作患者的 mLVs 在矢状窦上段的血流速度较 NMOSD 慢性期患者减慢。mLVs 中的血流减少与扩展残疾状况量表 (EDSS) 评估的疾病严重程度相关。受试者工作特征曲线 (ROC) 表明，DCE-MRI 可能通过评估 mLVs 的功能为预测 NMOSD 的急性复发提供客观证据。促进或恢复 mLVs 的功能可能是 NMOSD 复发治疗的新靶点。
