Potential Associations between Vascular Biology and Hodgkin's Lymphoma: An Overview

Abstract

Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) is a lymphatic neoplasm typically found in the cervical lymph nodes. The disease is multifactorial, and in recent years, the relationships between various vascular molecules have been explored in the field of vascular biology. The connection between vascular biology and HL is intricate and the roles of several pathways remain unclear. This review summarizes the cellular and molecular relationships between vascular biology and HL. Proteins associated with various functions in vascular biology, including cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1, IL-13, and IL-21), chemokines (CXCL10, CXCL12, and CCL21), adhesion molecules (ELAM-1/VCAM-1), and growth factors (BDNF/NT-3, platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α), have been linked to tumor activity. Notable tumor activities include the induction of paracrine activation of NF-kB-dependent pathways, upregulation of adhesion molecule regulation, genome amplification, and effective loss of antigen presentation mediated by MHC-II. Preclinical study models, primarily those using cell culture, have been optimized for HL. Animal models, particularly mice, are also used as alternatives to complex biological systems, with studies primarily focusing on the physiopathogenic evaluation of the disease. These biomolecules warrant further study because they may shed light on obscure pathways and serve as targets for prevention and/or treatment interventions.

Keywords: Hodgkin’s disease; animal models; blood vessels; cell biology; targeted therapy.

Figure 1

Evolution towards the absolute frequency of scientific approaches to Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Data on the number of publications from 1940 to 2021 that mention, or address Hodgkin’s lymphoma were obtained from the Medline/Pubmed database. Data were stratified into eight blocks containing a decade for each block. All distributions were correlated by Spearman’s test. The significance level used was 5%.

Figure 2

Schematic model to demonstrate the potential interaction between molecules that participate in tumor activity, present in classic HL, and vascular biology. Among the biomolecules found, cytokines, chemokines and growth factors stand out. The animal models for study most frequently use immunodeficient mice, where the pathogenesis, prognosis, diagnosis, and intervention for classic HL are evaluated. Created with BioRender.com.