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lymph vessel (lymphatic vessel)
Physiology:
- lymphatic capillaries in the tissue are formed by a single layer of endothelial cells lined by an absent or widely fenestrated basement membrane allowing access to interstitial proteins & particles
- lymph is collected in the tissues from lymphatic capillaries which merge to form larger vessels containing smooth muscle
- these vessels are thus capable of vasomotion
- small & medium sized vessels empty into progressively larger vessels
- lymphatic vessels transport lymph through lymph nodes &/or lymphoid tissue in the spleen, gastrointestinal tract, tonsils, adenoids
- after filtration through lymph nodes &/or lymphoid tissue, lymph is returned to the circulation, most of which drain into the thoracic duct
- smaller amounts drain into the right lymphatic duct
Comparative biology:
- lymphatic vessels line the dural sinuses of mice [2]
- these lymphatic vessels drain CSF into the deep cervical lymph nodes
- T cells are present in these lymphatic vessels at higher concentration than in blood vessels [2]
Specific
deep lymph vessel
lacteal
superficial lymph vessel
thoracic duct (Pecquet's duct, van Horne's canal)
General
anatomic structure
Properties
References
- Stedman's Medical Dictionary 26th ed, Williams &
Wilkins, Baltimore, 1995
- Louveau A et al.
Structural and functional features of central nervous system
lymphatic vessels.
Nature 2015 Jun 1
PMID: 26030524
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature14432.html
Component-of
lymphatic system
Components
lymphatic endothelium