A 3D Human Lymphatic Vessel-on-Chip Reveals the Roles of Interstitial Flow and VEGF-A/C for Lymphatic Sprouting and Discontinuous Junction Formation.

Introduction: Lymphatic vessels (LVs) maintain fluid homeostasis by draining excess interstitial fluid, which is accomplished by two distinct LVs: initial LVs and collecting LVs. The interstitial fluid is first drained into the initial LVs through permeable "button-like" lymphatic endothelial cell (LEC) junctions. Next, the drained fluid ("lymph") transports to lymph nodes through the collecting LVs with less permeable "zipper-like" junctions that minimize loss of lymph.

A bioengineered lymphatic vessel model for studying lymphatic endothelial cell-cell junction and barrier function.

Objective: Lymphatic vessels (LVs) maintain fluid homeostasis by draining interstitial fluid. A failure in lymphatic drainage triggers lymphatic diseases such as lymphedema. Since lymphatic drainage is regulated by lymphatic barrier function, developing experimental models that assess lymphatic barrier function is critical for better understanding of lymphatic physiology and disease.