Review of functions of the lymphatic system in cavity of abdominal inflammation

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

2 Department of Biology, Kazakh National Women's Pedagogical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

3 Laboratory of Physiology Lymphatic System, Institute of Genetics and Physiology SC MSHE RK, Almaty, Kazakhstan

10.22124/cjes.2026.9799

Abstract

Despite long being thought of as a passive clearing system, the abdominal lymphatics have recently shown themselves as active regulators of inflammatory outcomes. This systematic review attempts to synthesize currently available information on lymphatic functional changes during different stages of peritoneal inflammation, based especially on studies carried out in Kazakhstan from 2022 to 2025. We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and regional Central Asian databases up to September 2025 and identified 62 studies reporting on quantifiable lymphatic drainage, node morphological, or lymph cytokine changes. Our analysis indicates the differences in impact caused by inflammatory types, whereby acute bacterial peritonitis led to reduced mesenteric pumping to mere 32% of control values along with a seven-fold increase in lymph TNF α, whereas inflammatory bowel disease enabled increased drainage (up to 55%) at the expense of severe nodal hyperplasia. The inverse association between lymphatic flow and time taken by systemic inflammatory response syndrome persisted across all groups (mean r value of 0.69). Moreover, in the Kazakhstani multicenter study, for each 10% decrease in pump amplitude, there was an additional ten hours added to the clinical improvement period—a dose-dependent association with direct prognostic implications. Regarding methodologies employed, molecular assessment of the lymphatic fluid performed better than imaging and pathologic methods in the assessment of dysfunction at a very early stage, indicating that molecular markers predate morphological findings. Taken together, all this research poses significant questions against the existing passive drainage hypothesis, highlighting mesenteric lymphatic pumps as a potential underused therapeutic approach for treating abdominal inflammation. Nevertheless, lack of established bedside testing techniques, as well as the fact that studies have been mainly cross-sectional, necessitates further interventional research.

Keywords

References

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Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences
Volume 24, Issue 3
July 2026
Pages 865-872

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