Modulating Vascular Lymphatic Growth in Disease: Current and Potential Pharmacological Approaches for Prevention and Treatment

Abstract

The lymphatic system is part of the circulatory system and it is indispensable for life. In physiological conditions, the main functions assigned to the lymphatic system are the maintenance of the interstitial fluid homeostasis, immune surveillance and the absorption of dietary fat in the intestine (Alitalo, 2011). However, morphological or functional changes in lymphatic vessels can contribute to disorders such as lymphedema, tumor metastasis, inflammation and other pathological conditions (Oliver et al., 2020). Therefore, there is an urgent need to further understand the mechanisms driving lymphatic dysfunction in these conditions and to develop novel lymph-targeted therapies. In this Research Topic, we present a collection of research articles that provide new insights into obesity-induced lymphatic dysfunction and tumor-draining lymph node reconstruction; and review articles that highlight and discuss the latest pharmacological approaches to treat lymphedema and mechanisms to target obesity and metabolic diseases through modulating lymphatic contraction.