Cannulation of mesenteric lymphatic vessels in a murine model

Mesentery is a crucial part of an animal's digestive system since it holds the intestine in place, while also contains the specialized lymph nodes and immune cells that help protect the intestines from infections and support the body's immune response in the abdominal cavity. Analyzing mesenteric lymph can help better understand the transport mechanisms and potential implications for various conditions, such as lymphatic disorders or underlying infections. The first step towards this is the precise collection of the mesenteric lymph. In this chapter, we describe the optimized protocol of cannulation to collect afferent and efferent mesenteric lymphatic fluid.