🫀 The Heart's Forgotten Drain: Aging, Lymphatics & Inflammation

🫀 Could the aging heart have a drainage problem? A fascinating study in Nature Cardiovascular Research shows that aging reduces cardiac lymphatic vessels, with tighter junctions, impaired clearance, inflammation, edema, fibrinogen and amyloid accumulation. 🔥 🧬 Mechanistically: aging → ↓VEGFC → ↑nuclear IL-33 → lymphatic endothelial cell loss/remodeling. 🎯 IL-33 silencing or VEGFC restoration rescued lymphatic density and reduced inflammation—but VEGFC did not reverse established diastolic dysfunction. 💡 Perhaps cardiac aging is not only about blood vessels. Lymphatics matter