Table 1.

Potential links between lymphatic function and cardiovascular diseases in clinical settings

Genes involved	Implication in lymphatic function	Implication in cardiovascular disease
GATA2	Linked with primary (hereditary) lymphedema in Emberger syndrome [41]	Linked with familial early- onset of coronary artery disease [40] Linked with hematological diseases characterized by altered myeloid cell differentiation [41]
VEGF-C and its receptor, VEGFR-3	Mutation of the VEGFR-3 gene causes primary lymphedema [8]	A polymorphism in the gene encoding VEGF-C, causing lower levels of circulating VEGF-C, is associated with CAD [48] VEGF-C levels in plasma correlate with plasma mass of Lp-PLA2 [49] VEGF-C levels in plasma correlate with metabolic parameters and dyslipidemia [50]
FOXC2/PROX-1	Key genes involved in the process of lymphatic vessel formation [53] Transcription factors highly expressed from the onset of valve formation and collecting vessel maturation [43]	Familial combined hyperlipidaemia (FCHL) is associated with decreased PROX-1 and / or FOXC2 expression in adipose tissue [44] Genetic linkage shows an association between FOXC2 and FCHL [45]