Cardiac Lymphatic Vessels, Transport, and Healing of the Infarcted Heart

The lymphatic vasculature plays a key role throughout the body in regulating tissue fluid homeostasis, lipid transport, and immune surveillance. Whereas it has been appreciated that the heart relies on lymphatic vessels to maintain fluid balance and that such balance must be tightly maintained to allow for normal cardiac output, it has only recently come to light that the lymphatic vasculature might serve as a therapeutic target to promote optimal healing following myocardial ischemia and infarction. We review the subject of cardiac lymphatic vessels herein and highlight studies that imply targeting of lymphatic vessel development or transport may serve as a promising avenue for future clinical application in the context of ischemic injury.