Mechanisms of chylomicron uptake into lacteals

Abstract

Right from birth, the lymphatics play a crucial role in dietary functions. A majority of the lipid absorbed from the newborn's lipid-rich diet enters the blood circulation through the lymphatic system, which transports triglyceride-loaded particles known as chylomicrons from the villi of the small intestine to the venous circulation near the heart. In light of the significance of this role, as well as the fact that lipid transport from the gut was one of the earliest discovered functions of the lymphatic vasculature, it is surprising that so little is known about how chylomicrons initially gain access to the lymphatic vessel. This review will focus on the current mechanisms thought to be important in this process and highlight important questions that need to be answered in the future.

Figure 1

Optical slice taken on a confocal microscope of a whole-mount mouse intestine showing a villi with a lymphatic vessel running down the center. Cell nuclei are stained with DAPI (blue) and LEC are stained with LYVE-1 (red).