Quantitative measurement of lymphatic function in mice by noninvasive near-infrared imaging of a peripheral vein.

ABSTRACT: Optical imaging methods have been developed to measure lymphatic function in skin; however, the lymphatic system of many organs is not accessible to this technology. Since lymphatic transport of macromolecules from any organ proceeds to the blood circulation, we aimed to develop a method that can measure lymphatic function by monitoring the fluorescence in a superficial vein of an interstitially injected tracer. We selected a 40-kDa PEGylated near-infrared dye conjugate, as it showed lymphatic system-specific uptake and extended circulation in blood. Lymphatic transport to blood from subcutaneous tissue required a transit time before signal enhancement was seen in blood followed by a steady rise in signal over time. Increased lymphatic transport was apparent in awake mice compared with tho

SUBMITTER: Proulx ST 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5214224 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature