Evidence mapPaperPMID 41554698Full record

ReviewBone research2026

The role of the lymphatic system in musculoskeletal system health and disease: research progress and future directions.

Yan Luo, Jie Song, Shengyuan Zheng, Jianfeng Sun, Gaoming Liu, Zirui Xiao, Michael Opoku, Djandan Tadum Arthur Vithran, Jiaxue Zhou, Wenfeng Xiao and 1 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Bone research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Yan Luo *Department of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.ORCID 0000-0002-5830-1936
Jie Song *Department of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Shengyuan ZhengDepartment of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.ORCID 0000-0003-2424-6040
Jianfeng SunDepartment of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Gaoming LiuDepartment of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Zirui XiaoDepartment of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Michael OpokuDepartment of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Djandan Tadum Arthur VithranDepartment of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.ORCID 0000-0003-1066-7266
Jiaxue ZhouDepartment of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Wenfeng XiaoDepartment of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. xiaowenfeng@csu.edu.cn.
Yusheng LiDepartment of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. liyusheng@csu.edu.cn.ORCID 0000-0002-3404-0807

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 82272611, 82072506, 92268115, 82472522
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The lymphatic system is widely distributed in skeletal muscles, joints, and skeletal tissues and plays a key role in maintaining immune homeostasis, regulating inflammatory responses, and tissue repair. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have shown that morphological and functional changes in lymphatic vessels are closely associated with the onset and progression of a variety of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), such as osteoarthritis (OA), fractures, and muscular dystrophy. However, the specific mechanisms of the lymphatic system's role in these diseases have not been fully elucidated, and their potential clinical value remains to be thoroughly explored. In this review, we review the recent research progress on the structure, function, and pathophysiological role of the lymphatic system in the musculoskeletal system, and we focus on the association between lymphangiogenesis, dysfunction, and MSDs, and systematically summarize the therapeutic strategies targeting the lymphatic system. In addition, we summarize the limitations of current studies and propose key directions for future research, with a view to providing new ideas for basic research and clinical intervention in MSDs.

Indexed as

Lymphatic VesselsMusculoskeletal DiseasesMusculoskeletal SystemAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalFractures, BoneHumansLymphangiogenesisMuscular DystrophiesOsteoarthritis

Identifiers

PMID41554698
PMCPMC12816597

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.