Research on new pleurisy treatments targeting lymphatic vessels

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K08165
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 53030:Respiratory medicine-related
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Kobayashi Makoto 東北大学, 医学系研究科, 非常勤講師 (10644809)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 岡崎 達馬 東北大学, 大学病院, 講師 (40396479)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: リンパ管新生

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Pleural effusion is produced by blood vessels in the pleura and drained from lymphatics, but when the balance is lost, it accumulates. Causes include inflammation and cancer, but current treatments are still poorly managed. There are a few reports of blood vessels such as vascular permeability for effusion, but there are few reports of lymphatics, which are the center of effusion drainage. In this study, we focused on the lymphatics of the pleura and investigated whether they could be therapeutic targets. We created a cancerous pleural effusion model in which lung cancer cells were administered into the thoracic cavity and an inflammatory pleural effusion mouse in which a bacterial toxin was administered. Evaluation of the lymphatics in the pleura of each model revealed dilation of the lymphatic vessel diameter. The cancerous pleural effusion model tended to delay pleural effusion drainage. Lymphangiogenesis inhibitors tended to reduce pleural effusion.

Free Research Field

リンパ管新生

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

癌や炎症性疾患に伴う胸水の治療はいまだ不十分なため、多くの患者さんに呼吸困難などの症状を残し生活の質を下げている。胸水は胸膜の血管からつくられリンパ管から排出されるが、疾患によりそのバランスが崩れることで貯留する。リンパ管による排出不全の関与はこれまでほとんど研究されておらず、新規治療対象になるのではないかと着目した。悪性胸水モデルではリンパ管の拡張と排液遅延がみられ排液不全が推定された。リンパ管新生阻害剤は有意差は見られなかったが胸水量を減少させる傾向がみられた。