Department of Physiology, Semmelweis University School of Medicine, 1094 Budapest, Hungary.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Apr 5;25(7):4046. doi: 10.3390/ijms25074046.
Lymphatics participate in reverse cholesterol transport, and their presence in the arterial wall of the great vessels and prior experimental results suggest their possible role in the development of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to characterize the lymphatic vasculature of the arterial wall in atherosclerosis. Tissue sections and tissue-cleared aortas of wild-type mice unveiled significant differences in the density of the arterial lymphatic network throughout the arterial tree. Male and female and mice on a Western diet showed sex-dependent differences in plaque formation and calcification. Female mice on a Western diet developed more calcification of atherosclerotic plaques than males. The lymphatic vessels within the aortic wall of these mice showed no major changes regarding the number of lymphatic junctions and end points or the lymphatic area. However, female mice on a Western diet showed moderate dilation of lymphatic vessels in the abdominal aorta and exhibited indications of increased peripheral lymphatic function, findings that require further studies to understand the role of lymphatics in the arterial wall during the development of atherosclerosis.
淋巴管参与胆固醇逆转运，其在大血管的动脉壁中的存在以及先前的实验结果提示其在动脉粥样硬化的发生发展中可能发挥作用。本研究旨在对动脉粥样硬化中的动脉壁淋巴管结构进行特征分析。组织切片和组织透明化的野生型小鼠揭示了动脉树中整个动脉系统中动脉淋巴管网络密度存在显著差异。雄性和雌性及高脂饮食喂养的 小鼠在斑块形成和钙化方面存在性别依赖性差异。高脂饮食喂养的雌性小鼠比雄性小鼠形成更多的动脉粥样硬化斑块钙化。这些小鼠的主动脉壁内淋巴管在淋巴管节点和终点的数量或淋巴管面积方面没有明显变化。然而，高脂饮食喂养的雌性小鼠的腹主动脉内淋巴管有适度扩张，并表现出外周淋巴管功能增强的迹象，这些发现需要进一步研究来了解在动脉粥样硬化发展过程中淋巴管在动脉壁中的作用。
