Lymphatic Vessel Disease - New Insights into Vascular Anatomy, Cell Biology, Diagnostics and Treatment

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 May 2023) | Viewed by 7703

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Institute of Medical and Human Genetics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2. BIH Center of Regenerative Therapies, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
Interests: lymphangiogenesis; lymphovascular diseases; imaging; lightsheet microscopy; histology; personalized medicine; human genetics

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Guest Editor
Institute of Clinical and Functional Anatomy, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Interests: lymphatic vessels’ morphology and function; lymphovascular diseases; gross anatomy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to new findings in the fields of anatomy, cell biology, and medicine, the lymphatic system has experienced a renaissance in recent years.

Using new technologies, it has not only been possible to increase our understanding of lymphatic vessel biology, but also to describe the genetic and histological alterations of lymphatic vessel diseases in more detail.

In addition, recent studies have identified relevant signaling pathways that will enable new treatment approaches in the—hopefully near—future and pave the way for personalized medicine in lymphovascular diseases.

Since progress in the field of lymphovascular medicine requires close interaction between clinical and basic research, this Special Issue will include basic research studies covering new developments and discoveries in lymphatic endothelial cell biology and anatomy, as well as clinical studies on new diagnostic methods and therapy and treatment approaches.

Therefore, this Special Issue will represent a collection of current knowledge and will set the basis for future concepts in lymphovascular research and medicine.

For this Special Issue, we welcome both original studies and review articles addressing one or several of the above subjects or of the topics mentioned in the keywords listed below.

Dr. René Hägerling
Prof. Dr. Erich Brenner
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • morphology of the lymphatic vasculature in health and disease
  • molecular and cellular mechanisms of lymphatic endothelium
  • diagnostics (imaging, histology, genetics, etc.)
  • surgical and pharmacological treatment of lymphovascular diseases

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 13255 KiB  
Article
Three-Dimensional Histological Characterization of the Placental Vasculature Using Light Sheet Microscopy
by Lennart Freise, Rose Yinghan Behncke, Hanna Helene Allerkamp, Tim Henrik Sandermann, Ngoc Hai Chu, Eva Maria Funk, Lukas Jonathan Hondrich, Alina Riedel, Christian Witzel, Nils Rouven Hansmeier, Magdalena Danyel, Alexandra Gellhaus, Ralf Dechend and René Hägerling
Biomolecules 2023, 13(6), 1009; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13061009 - 17 Jun 2023
Viewed by 2498
Abstract
The placenta is the first embryonic organ, representing the connection between the embryo and the mother, and is therefore necessary for the embryo’s growth and survival. To meet the ever-growing need for nutrient and gas exchange, the maternal spiral arteries undergo extensive remodeling, [...] Read more.
The placenta is the first embryonic organ, representing the connection between the embryo and the mother, and is therefore necessary for the embryo’s growth and survival. To meet the ever-growing need for nutrient and gas exchange, the maternal spiral arteries undergo extensive remodeling, thus increasing the uteroplacental blood flow by 16-fold. However, the insufficient remodeling of the spiral arteries can lead to severe pregnancy-associated disorders, including but not limited to pre-eclampsia. Insufficient endovascular trophoblast invasion plays a key role in the manifestation of pre-eclampsia; however, the underlying processes are complex and still unknown. Classical histopathology is based on two-dimensional section microscopy, which lacks a volumetric representation of the vascular remodeling process. To further characterize the uteroplacental vascularization, a detailed, non-destructive, and subcellular visualization is beneficial. In this study, we use light sheet microscopy for optical sectioning, thus establishing a method to obtain a three-dimensional visualization of the vascular system in the placenta. By introducing a volumetric visualization method of the placenta, we could establish a powerful tool to deeply investigate the heterogeneity of the spiral arteries during the remodeling process, evaluate the state-of-the-art treatment options, effects on vascularization, and, ultimately, reveal new insights into the underlying pathology of pre-eclampsia. Full article
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9 pages, 1382 KiB  
Article
Comprehensive Analyses of Coagulation Parameters in Patients with Vascular Anomalies
by Friedrich G. Kapp, Cedric Schneider, Annegret Holm, Hannah Glonnegger, Charlotte M. Niemeyer, Jochen Rößler and Barbara Zieger
Biomolecules 2022, 12(12), 1840; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12121840 - 8 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1579
Abstract
Background: Vascular anomalies comprise a diverse group of rare diseases with altered blood flow and are often associated with coagulation disorders. The most common example is a localized intravascular coagulopathy in venous malformations leading to elevated D-dimers. In severe cases, this may progress [...] Read more.
Background: Vascular anomalies comprise a diverse group of rare diseases with altered blood flow and are often associated with coagulation disorders. The most common example is a localized intravascular coagulopathy in venous malformations leading to elevated D-dimers. In severe cases, this may progress to a disseminated intravascular coagulopathy with subsequent consumption of fibrinogen and thrombocytes predisposing to serious bleeding. A separate coagulopathy is the Kasabach–Merritt phenomenon in kaposiform hemangioendothelioma characterized by platelet trapping leading to thrombocytopenia and eventually consumptive coagulopathy. Our previous work showed impaired von Willebrand factor and platelet aggregometry due to abnormal blood flow, i.e., in ventricular assist devices or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. With altered blood flow also present in vascular anomalies, we hypothesized that, in particular, the von Willebrand factor parameters and the platelet function may be similarly impacted. Methods: We prospectively recruited 73 patients with different vascular anomaly entities and analyzed their coagulation parameters. Results: Acquired von Willebrand syndrome was observed in both of our patients with Kasabach–Merritt phenomenon. In six out of nine patients with complex lymphatic anomalies, both the vWF antigen and activity were upregulated. Platelet aggregometry was impaired in both patients with Kasabach–Merritt phenomenon and in seven out of eight patients with an arteriovenous malformation. Conclusions: The analysis of coagulation parameters in our patients with vascular anomalies advanced our understanding of the underlying pathophysiologies of the observed coagulopathies. This may lead to new treatment options for the, in part, life-threatening bleeding risks in these patients in the future. Full article
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12 pages, 3013 KiB  
Article
Is Lymphedema a Systemic Disease? A Paired Molecular and Histological Analysis of the Affected and Unaffected Tissue in Lymphedema Patients
by Stefan Wolf, Julia von Atzigen, Bettina Kaiser, Lisanne Grünherz, Bong-Sung Kim, Pietro Giovanoli, Nicole Lindenblatt and Epameinondas Gousopoulos
Biomolecules 2022, 12(11), 1667; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12111667 - 11 Nov 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2965
Abstract
Secondary lymphedema is a chronic, debilitating disease and one of the most common side effects of oncologic surgery, substantially decreasing quality of life. Despite the progress conducted in lymphedema research, the underlying pathomechanisms remain elusive. Lymphedema is considered to be a disease affecting [...] Read more.
Secondary lymphedema is a chronic, debilitating disease and one of the most common side effects of oncologic surgery, substantially decreasing quality of life. Despite the progress conducted in lymphedema research, the underlying pathomechanisms remain elusive. Lymphedema is considered to be a disease affecting an isolated extremity, yet imaging studies suggest systemic changes of the lymphatic system in the affected patients. To evaluate potential systemic manifestations in lymphedema, we collected matched fat and skin tissue from the edematous and non-edematous side of the same 10 lymphedema patients as well as anatomically matched probes from control patients to evaluate whether known lymphedema manifestations are present systemically and in comparison to health controls. The lymphedematous tissue displayed various known hallmarks of lymphedema compared to the healthy controls, such as increased epidermis thickness, collagen deposition in the periadipocyte space and the distinct infiltration of CD4+ cells. Furthermore, morphological changes in the lymphatic vasculature between the affected and unaffected limb in the same lymphedema patient were visible. Surprisingly, an increased collagen deposition as well as CD4 expression were also detectable in the non-lymphedematous tissue of lymphedema patients, suggesting that lymphedema may trigger systemic changes beyond the affected extremity. Full article
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