Connecting the Dots: The Cerebral Lymphatic System as a Bridge Between the Central Nervous System and Peripheral System in Health and Disease

Hongxiang Zhao; Meiyan Sun; Yue Zhang; Wenwen Kong; Lulu Fan; Kaifang Wang; Qing Xu; Baiyan Chen; Jianxin Dong; Yanan Shi; Zhengyan Wang; ShiQi Wang; Xiaoli Zhuang; Qi Li; Feihong Lin; Xinyu Yao; WenBo Zhang; Chang Kong; Rui Zhang; Dayun Feng; Xiaoyong Zhao

doi:10.14336/AD.2023.0516

Connecting the Dots: The Cerebral Lymphatic System as a Bridge Between the Central Nervous System and Peripheral System in Health and Disease

Aging Dis. 2024 Feb 1;15(1):115-152. doi: 10.14336/AD.2023.0516.

Authors

Hongxiang Zhao^{1

2}, Meiyan Sun^{1

2}, Yue Zhang², Wenwen Kong², Lulu Fan², Kaifang Wang², Qing Xu³, Baiyan Chen², Jianxin Dong², Yanan Shi², Zhengyan Wang², ShiQi Wang², Xiaoli Zhuang⁴, Qi Li⁵, Feihong Lin⁶, Xinyu Yao⁷, WenBo Zhang⁸, Chang Kong⁹, Rui Zhang^{10

2}, Dayun Feng¹¹, Xiaoyong Zhao^{1

10

2}

Affiliations

¹ Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China.
² Shandong Provincial Medicine and Health Key Laboratory of Clinical Anesthesia, School of Anesthesiology, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China.
³ Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
⁴ Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
⁵ Department of Anesthesiology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
⁶ Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
⁷ Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
⁸ Department of Neurosurgery, The Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, China.
⁹ Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Tianjin Nankai Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
¹⁰ Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China.
¹¹ Department of neurosurgery, Tangdu hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.

Abstract

As a recently discovered waste removal system in the brain, cerebral lymphatic system is thought to play an important role in regulating the homeostasis of the central nervous system. Currently, more and more attention is being focused on the cerebral lymphatic system. Further understanding of the structural and functional characteristics of cerebral lymphatic system is essential to better understand the pathogenesis of diseases and to explore therapeutic approaches. In this review, we summarize the structural components and functional characteristics of cerebral lymphatic system. More importantly, it is closely associated with peripheral system diseases in the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and kidney. However, there is still a gap in the study of the cerebral lymphatic system. However, we believe that it is a critical mediator of the interactions between the central nervous system and the peripheral system.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Brain / physiology
Central Nervous System*
Homeostasis
Lymphatic System*

Grants and funding

We are grateful to Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Medicine and Health Key Laboratory of Clinical Anesthesia, School of Anesthesiology, Weifang Medical University and Department of neurosurgery, Tangdu hospital, Fourth Military Medical University for technical support. This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province [ZR2016HP06]; the Shandong Medical and Health Science and Technology Development Project [2019WS605, 202104110334]; the Weifang Medical University Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program Project [X2021517, X2021516, X2021514]; and the Weifang Science and Technology Development Project [2021YX028].