Abstract
Lymphatic system is identified the second vascular system after the blood circulation in mammalian species, however the research on lymphatic system has long been hampered by the lack of comprehensive imaging modality. Nanomaterials have shown the potential to enhance the quality of lymphatic imaging due to the unparalleled advantages such as the specific passive targeting and efficient co-delivery of cocktail to peripheral lymphatic system, ease molecular engineering for precise active targeting and prolonged retention in the lymphatic system of interest. Multimodal lymphatic imaging based on nanotechnology provides a complementary means to understand the kinetics of lymphoid tissues and quantify its function. In this review, we introduce the established approaches of lymphatic imaging used in clinic and summarize their strengths and weaknesses, and list the critical influence factors on lymphatic imaging. Meanwhile, the recent developments in the field of pre-clinical lymphatic imaging are discussed to shed new lights on the design of new imaging agents, the improvement of delivery methods and imaging-guided surgery strategies.Graphical
Highlights
Blood and lymphatic vessel networks are two central components of cardiovascular system in vertebrate, playing a pivotal role in body homeostasis maintenance and involving in the development of multiple diseases [1]
The lymphatic vessels lined with Lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) play an active role in formation of innate and adaptive immunity, and a suitable microenvironment is established by downstream lymph nodes as the confluence of migratory immune cells [7]
We summarize the established approaches of lymphatic imaging used in clinic and introduce their strengths and weaknesses (Fig. 1 and Table 1)
Summary
Blood and lymphatic vessel networks are two central components of cardiovascular system in vertebrate, playing a pivotal role in body homeostasis maintenance and involving in the development of multiple diseases [1]. The corresponding MRI/NIR/SPECT nanoparticles (99mTc-Gd@OVACy) with the appropriate size exhibited high resolution and sensitivity lymphatic imaging [86].
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