Mechanistic and functional assessment of the ageing cardiac lym-phatic system

• Applicant: Dr. Julian Wagner
• Subject Area: Cardiology, Angiology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 550849485

In the modern society, increased life expectancy has led to a shift in the distribution of relevant diseases. Hence age-related pathologies, particularly cardiovascular disease, rank as leading cause of death globally. During aging, the heart undergoes various structural changes that underlie cellular alternations and result in reduced cardiac function. The vasculature has gained special attention, since the endothelium was found in different tissues to orchestrate reparative mechanisms in a paracrine manner. Own studies reveal that aging negatively affects the cardiac endothelial nich. While these studies primarily focus on blood vessels, it is not clear to what extent lymphatic endothelial cells contribute to the vascular niche function and how they are affected by aging. Lymphatic vessels are responsible for draining excessive fluid and immune cells from the interstitial space and therefore contribute to tissue homeostasis. In adult hearts, lymphatic vessels run alongside blood vessels and contribute to normal heart function, while disruption of lymphatic function results in reduced cardiac function. Own preliminary data show that cardiac lymphatic vessel density declines with age suggesting a disturbed lymphatic clearance in the aging heart which might contribute to enhanced inflammation and deterioration of cardiac function. To assess the cardiac lymphatic system, the applicant prepared a project proposal to histologically and functionally characterize the cardiac lymphatic system in aged mice.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants