Fig. 2
From: Cellular and molecular mediators of lymphangiogenesis in inflammatory bowel disease
Inflammatory-associated cells and their secretome that initiate lymphatic expansion. Most of the inflammatory cells do not only secrete lymphangiogenic factors but also exhibit lymphangiogenic phenotypes by expressing specific lymphatic endothelial markers such as LYVE-1 (lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor-1), Prox-1, and Podoplanin. These factors trigger pre-existing lymphatic vessels in the inflammatory environment to give rise to new vessels via lymphatic endothelial cell sprouting