[The basic patterns in the development of lymph circulatory failure in the heart]

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Research
• Lymphatic System Biology
• Pathology and Pathophysiology

Background:

• The lymphatic channel (LC) plays a crucial role in cardiovascular health.
• Understanding adaptive and pathological changes in the heart's LC is vital for cardiovascular disease research.
• Previous studies have not fully elucidated the dynamic changes in cardiac LC under various physiological and pathological stressors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate adaptive and pathological alterations in the heart's lymphatic channel (LC) in rabbits.
• To examine the reversibility of LC changes in alimentary atherosclerosis following dietary cholesterol withdrawal.
• To characterize the morphofunctional reactions and phased development of chronic lymph flow insufficiency in the heart.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 63 adult rabbits subjected to physical exercise, acute/relapsing coronary insufficiency, and alimentary atherosclerosis.
• Employed colored mass injections for LC visualization.
• Investigated LC using stereoangioscopy, clarified preparations, semithin sections, and electron microscopy.

Main Results:

• Observed stereotyped changes across different elements of the cardiac lymphatic network.
• Identified distinct, successively following phases in morphofunctional reactions leading to chronic heart lymph flow insufficiency.
• Demonstrated that cardiac LC changes in atherosclerosis can be reversible upon cholesterol exclusion from the diet.

Conclusions:

• Cardiac lymphatic channel alterations exhibit a stereotyped pattern in response to various stressors.
• The development of chronic heart lymph flow insufficiency progresses through distinct, sequential phases.
• Dietary interventions can potentially reverse pathological changes in the cardiac lymphatic system associated with atherosclerosis.