A team of scientists from the Multidisciplinary Institute for Ageing at the University of Coimbra (MIA-Portugal) published a pioneering study in the prestigious journal Cell that may force anatomy textbooks to be rewritten. The research showed that human and rodent bone tissue contains functional lymphatic vessels inside it, answering a question that has intrigued biology for decades.
The researchers were able to map these lymphatic vessels in the separation zone between the cortical bone, which is the outer layer of the bone, and the bone marrow, using fluorescence microscopy techniques to obtain detailed images of the bone tissue.
The discovery reveals the active role of lymphatic vessels in bone regeneration, paving the way for new therapeutic approaches to age-related diseases. This research may have significant implications for the treatment of conditions affecting bone health in older populations.
