title: Emerging trends in the pathophysiology of lymphatic contractile function.
abstract: Lymphatic contractile dysfunction is central to a number of pathologies that affect millions of people worldwide. Due to its critical role in the process of inflammation, a dysfunctional lymphatic system also compromises the immune response, further exacerbating a number of inflammation related diseases. Despite the critical physiological functions accomplished by the transport of lymph, a complete understanding of the contractile machinery of the lymphatic system lags far behind that of the blood vasculature. However, there has been a surge of recent research focusing on different mechanisms that underlie both physiological and pathophysiological aspects of lymphatic contractile function. This review summarizes those emerging paradigms that shed some novel insights into the contractile physiology of the lymphatics in normal as well as different disease states. In addition, this review emphasizes the recent progress made in our understanding of various contractile parameters and regulatory elements that contribute to the normal functioning of the lymphatics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Division of Lymphatic Biology, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, United States.
authors.forename: Sanjukta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Missouri School of Medicine, United States. Electronic address: davismj@health.missouri.edu.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Division of Lymphatic Biology, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, United States. Electronic address: marim@email.tamu.edu.
authors.forename: Mariappan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muthuchamy
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology; D008196:Lymph / Q000276:immunology; D042601:Lymphatic Vessels / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009765:Obesity / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: Inflammation; Lymph flow; Lymphatic contraction; Lymphatic muscle; Lymphatic valve; Nitric oxide