| Affiliations: | Michael E. DeBakey Institute Undergraduate Research Program |
| Project Leader: | Jay Garza jaygarza@tamu.edu Biomedical Science |
| Faculty Mentor: | Ranjeet Dongaonkar, Ph.D |
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Meeting Times:
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Fall 2016: Monday & Tuesday 2:30-5:30 PM |
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Team Size:
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4 (Team Full) |
| Open Spots: | 0 |
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Special Opportunities:
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Possibility of earning co-authorship on a paper, learn to dissect and cannulate vessels |
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Team Needs:
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Interest in bio-medical science research, preferred BIMS and biomedical engineering majors |
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Description:
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The lymphatic system plays a crucial role in interstitial fluid balance—it collects and transports fluid and proteins lost to the interstitial space from blood capillaries to the circulation system. Once thought to be a passive process determined by pressure gradients, lymphatic transport is an active process determined by spontaneous contractions of lymphatic vessel segments. Although lymphatic vessels look like blood vessels, they function as pumps like cardiac ventricles. Lymphatic muscle provides the ability to generate pressure to pump lymph, fluid and proteins inside the lymphatic vessels, from the low-pressure interstitial space to high-pressure veins of neck. Presence of valves helps maintain one-way flow. Furthermore, it is understood that lymphatic pump failure against elevated central venous pressure decreases lymph flow leading to edema, excess accumulation of fluid and protein. However, no effective treatments for lymphatic pump failure exist. Recent studies have reported that dopamine at low concentrations has chronotropic as well as inotropic effects on the heart. The resulting increases in cardiac contractility and heart rate have been reported to increase cardiac output, increase mean arterial blood pressure and decrease central venous pressure. However, how dopamine affects lymphatic pump has yet to be studied thoroughly. Therefore the goal of the project is to evaluate our hypothesis that dopamine enhances lymphatic pump function. To test this hypothesis, we will quantify the effects of various concentrations of dopamine on contraction frequency, strength and active lymph flow of bovine mesenteric lymphatic vessels. |