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Updated: Mar 9, 2026
Non-invasive Optical Imaging of the Lymphatic Vasculature of a Mouse
Published on: March 8, 2013
A Modular Computational Approach for Assessing Active and Passive Force Contributions in Interstitial Lymphatic Fluid
Tharanga D Jayathungage Don1, Finbar Argus2, Soroush Safaei2
1Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. t.jayathungage-don@auckland.ac.nz.
Purpose:
The lymphatic system regulates fluid homeostasis, yet the relative roles of active vessel pumping, external mechanical forces, and lymphatic vessel/interstitium material properties on lymphatic uptake remain unclear. We sought to quantify how each factor affects lymphatic drainage.
Method:
We developed a bond-graph-based computational framework for modelling initial lymphatic uptake. Two networks, a simple 7-branch and a complex 19-branch architecture, were constructed to evaluate active pumping, passive external forces, and their combination. We varied vessel compliance, interstitial permeability, anchoring filament stiffness, interstitial compliance, and interstitial thickness, and performed global sensitivity analysis to identify dominant and interacting parameters. Model outputs were compared with published experimental data to assess physiological plausibility.
Results:
Simulated uptake rates were consistent with published ranges, supporting the model's physiological validity. Network topology exerted strong control: the 19-branch network consistently produced lower flow than the 7-branch network. Vessel compliance increased cycle-mean flow in the 7-branch network (+11% active; + 17.8% concurrent) but reduced flow in the 19-branch network (-4.3% active; - 9.3% concurrent), indicating that structural losses in larger networks can outweigh distensibility benefits. Under passive forcing, interstitial permeability dominated drainage; very low permeability nearly eliminated flow. Anchoring filament stiffness, interstitial compliance, and thickness had negligible effects. Sensitivity analyses showed compliance governed active and concurrent force cases, whereas permeability dominated passive flow, with additional permeability/compliance interactions emerging in the 19-branch network.
Conclusion:
Branching topology and material properties fundamentally influence lymphatic drainage. Active pumping is particularly important in highly branched architectures, while interstitial properties mainly modulate passive flow. The framework enables quantitative exploration of regional physiological and pathological differences.
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