Is endothelium necessary for transmural pressure-induced contractions of bovine truncal lymphatics?

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the endothelium in regulating lymphatic contractile activity in bovine mesenteric truncal lymphatics. To test the effects of endothelial denudation on lymphatic pumping, bovine lymphatics were suspended in an organ bath preparation with the vessels cannulated at both inflow and outflow ends. By raising the heights of the Krebs reservoir and the outflow catheters appropriately, a transmural pressure could be applied to the vessels. The relationship between transmural pressure and fluid pumping is expressed as a bell-shaped curve with pumping increasing up to a peak pressure (between 8 and 12 cm H2O), and declining at pressures above this level. We compared pressure/flow curves in endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded vessels. Chemical methods to remove the endothelium were attempted (collagenase and dispase) but were unsuccessful since they resulted in inhibition of all contractile activity including that induced with KCl. A technique using suture silk (3-O to 6-O) threaded into PE 50 or PE 20 polyethylene catheters with a loop at one end proved to be effective. By passing the catheter with its exposed loop of silk through the lymphatic ducts and imparting a twisting motion, we were able to remove the endothelium and preserve the smooth muscle responses to KCl. Transmission electron microscopy as well as silver staining techniques confirmed that all of the endothelium had been removed leaving the subendothelium and smooth muscle undamaged. We established that removal of the endothelium had no effect on lymphatic pumping. Pumping could not have occurred without the normal function of the one-way valves indicating that the denudation procedures did not damage these elements. Maximum flow rates and the transmural pressures that induced peak flows were similar in the two groups. We conclude that the pumping activity of bovine mesenteric truncal lymphatics in response to transmural pressure changes does not depend on an intact endothelium.