Extracellular vesicles are present in mouse lymph and their level differs in atherosclerosis

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Biology
• Immunology
• Cell Biology

Background:

• The lymphatic system is crucial for fluid balance and immune cell transport, working with the cardiovascular system.
• Lymphatic dysfunction is increasingly linked to cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis and inflammation.
• Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are biomarkers for inflammatory diseases, necessitating study of their presence and function in biological fluids.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence and origin of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the lymphatic system.
• To explore the potential role of EVs in lymphatic dysfunction and inflammatory disease progression.

Main Methods:

• Utilized state-of-the-art techniques for quantitative and qualitative analysis of EVs.
• Analyzed lymph from healthy and atherosclerotic animal models.

Main Results:

• Identified diverse EVs, including those from red blood cells and platelets, in the lymph of healthy animals.
• Observed a significantly higher concentration of EVs in the lymph of atherosclerotic mice compared to healthy controls.

Conclusions:

• Lymphatic fluid contains diverse extracellular vesicles (EVs) originating from various blood cells.
• Elevated EV levels in lymph may serve as a biomarker for lymphatic dysfunction or inflammatory disease progression.