This article is taken from the monthly magazine Sciences et Avenir n°948, dated February 2026.
New valves have just been identified at the heart of the cardiac lymphatic system which, in parallel with the blood network, evacuates and drains excess fluids such as cellular debris.
How the lymphatic system malfunctions in heart failure
This is the surprising discovery made by a team from Inserm and the University of Rouen-Normandie, who analyzed in animals how the lymphatic system malfunctions in theheart failureThey have, for the first time, identified the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for this dysfunction and discovered that a decrease in the number of these valves was linked to impaired drainage.
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A new avenue of research
These results, which need to be confirmed in humans, open up a new avenue of research: finding strategies to regenerate lost lymphatic valves, with the hope of restoring their essential function of draining the heart.
The valves (in white, on the right) play an essential role in the cardiac lymphatic system (vessels in blue). Credits: Bruno Bourgeois – Inserm
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