Reverse cholesterol transport is a process in which accumulated cholesterol is removed from tissues, including the artery wall, and transported back to the liver for excretion. Little is known about how cholesterol is removed from peripheral tissues, but a better understanding of these mechanisms could help in the development of therapies that treat atherosclerosis and other cholesterol-related disorders. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation , researchers led by Gwendalyn Randolph and colleagues at Washington University in St. Louis examined the role of the lymphatic system in RCT. The lymphatic system generally mediates transport of large molecules from the area around blood vessels into the blood. Randolph and colleagues tracked RCT in a mouse model of atherosclerosis with normal and impaired lymphatic growth. Mice lacking normal lymphatic growth retained more cholesterol in their aortas, indicating that lymphatic vessels are required for RCT in the aortic wall. These findings suggest that therapies that support lymphatic transport could enhance cholesterol clearance from arteries. In a companion commentary, Carlos Fernandez-Hernando of New York University discusses how such therapies could be used to treat atherosclerotic vascular disease.
TITLE:
Lymphatic vasculature mediates macrophage reverse cholesterol transport in mice
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Gwendalyn J. Randolph
Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA
Phone: 314 286 2345; E-mail: grandolph@path.wustl.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/63685?key=d3b240337f1e02e4324a
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE:
Lymphatic vessels clean up your arteries
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Carlos Fernandez-Hernando
New York University School of Medicine, New YorK, NY, USA
Phone: 212-263-9496; E-mail: carlos.fernandez-hernando@nyumc.org
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/68657?key=ac89c4e32d2370ab5316
Journal of Clinical Investigation