English

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Lymphatic vessels found in most of the tissues in the body form a network that is tremendously important in macromolecular and cellular transport from peripheral tissues. In the past decade, a massive number of studies have focused on the role of the lymphatic system in immune cell trafficking during both physiological and pathological conditions. Concomitantly, immune cells, such as dendritic cells, monocytes, and T and B lymphocytes, have been described to be the major source of lymphangiogenic factors. Put together, it has been hypothesised that immune cells not only travel through lymphatic vessels from point A to point B but also regulate lymphatic vessel expansion and function per se. Several findings suggest a convincing give-and-take interaction between the circulating immune cells and the lymphatic vessels. In this review, we have reported the newly described impacts of immune cells on lymphatic growth and function in developmental and pathological contexts related to inflammatory events. Conclusion We believe that mutual interactions between the lymphatic vessels and immune cells is critical, and that understanding the specific role of different populations of immune cells during lymphangiogenesis may provide a useful approach for modulating the lymphatic network in inflammatory diseases.