2017 Volume 87 Issue 5 Pages 135-145
Research on the lymphatic vascular system has made relatively slow progress compared to that of the blood vascular system. The major reasons for this include a lack of reliable techniques for the identification of lymphatic vessels in tissue, and that blood circulation is considered to be directly connected with life, and therefore requires urgent investigation of associated pathogenesis and treatments. However, in recent decades, research on the lymphatic system has made remarkably rapid progress because of the discovery of specific markers for lymphatic endothelial cells, various factors and genes relating to their proliferation and regeneration, and also significant advancements in lymphatic vessel imaging techniques. We have entered a new era of lymphatic system studies in both basic and clinical research fields. The importance of lymphatic vessels in local microcirculation is being realized through improved understanding of the functional significance of the lymphatic system in the normal body fluid circulation, and its contribution to defense against various infections and cancers. The establishment of treatments for lymphatic diseases relating to edema (lymphedema), immune disorders including organ transplantation, and lymphogenic metastasis of malignant tumors is a matter of great urgency. In the present review, I present the phylogeny, ontogeny, and mechanisms for lymphangiogenesis/lymphvasculogenesis, and report some important disorders relating to lymphangiogenesis, and discuss promising recently published strategies for their treatment.
