Inhibition of contraction strength and frequency by wall shear stress in a single-lymphangion model.

The phasic contractions of collecting lymphatic vessels are reduced in strength and occur at diminished frequency when the favourable pressure difference and the resulting antegrade flow create large fluid shear stresses at the luminal surface. This paper describes a minimal phenomenological model of this mechanism, that is applied to a previously validated numerical model of a phasically contracting lymphangion. The parameters of the inhibition model are quantitatively matched to observations in isolated segments of rat lymphatic vessel, first for mesenteric lymphatics then for thoracic duct, and outcomes from the numerical model are then qualitatively compared with recent observations in isolated segments of rat thoracic duct.