Abstract
The primo vascular system (PVS) is a newly found organ, which is distributed throughout the entire body. The system is composed of nodes storing many small cells and thin vessels branching out from the nodes. Inside the vessel there are multiple subvessels. The PVS is found in and on most organs, including the brain, and interestingly inside some lymph and blood vessels. The PVS is normally difficult to visualize due to its semitransparent optical property and its small size, which may be the main reason why it was not discovered until recently. The diameter of primo vessels (PVs) is in the range of 20–50 μm and the size of a primo node (PN), 100–1,000 μm. The outermost layer of the PVS is more porous than that of blood or lymph capillary vessels, and the nuclei of the PVS endothelial cells are rod shaped. Important PVS properties reported are: in the fluid inside the PVS, there are cells presenting stem cell markers CD133, Oct4, and Nanog, which may imply that this system has a role in regeneration. Another very important finding is its potential relevance to cancer. According to results from an animal study using xenografts of various cancer types (lung, ovarian, skin, gastric cancer, and leukemia), as the tumor grows, the PVS is formed in a high density in the vicinity of the tumor. In addition, it was shown that PVs connect the primary and secondary tumors and that cancer cells were transported via the PVs in an active manner. In this report, we illustrated the formation of the PVS in breast cancer, and using the green fluorescent protein-expressing gastric cancer cell lines, we observed the cancer cell movement from the primary to the secondary sites during the cancer progression.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Kim BH (1963) On the Kyungrak system. J Acad Med Sci DPR Korea 90:1–35
Kim BH (1965) The sanal theory. J Acad Med Sci DPR Korea 108:39–62
Soh KS (2012) A brief history of the Bong-Han theory and the primo vascular system. In: Soh KS, Kang KA, Harrison DH (eds) The primo vascular system: its role in cancer and regeneration. Springer, New York, pp 3–5
Yoo JS, Ayati MH, Kim HB, Zhang W, Soh KS (2010) Characterization of the primo-vascular system in the abdominal cavity of the lung cancer mouse model and its differences from the lymphatic system. PLoS One 5(4):e9940
Ogay V, Bae KH, Kim KW, Soh KS (2009) Comparison of the characteristic features of Bonghan ducts, blood and lymphatic capillaries. J Acupunct Meridian Stud 2(2):107–117
Sung B, Kim MS, Lee BC, Yoo JS, Lee SH, Kim YJ, Kim KW, Soh KS (2008) Measurement of flow speed in the channels of novel threadlike structures on the surfaces of mammalian organs. Naturwissenschaften 95(2):117–124
Ahn SH, Lee SW, Hwang SY, Kim JH, Sohn IC (2012) Primo-microcell in a primo node as a possible origin of adult stem cells. In: Soh KS, Kang KA, Harrison DH (eds) The primo vascular system: its role in cancer and regeneration. Springer, New York, pp 163–170
Ogay V, Soh KS (2012) Identification and characterization of small stem-like cells in the primo vascular system of adult animals. In: Soh KS, Kang KA, Harrison DH (eds) The primo vascular system: its role in cancer and regeneration. Springer, New York, pp 149–156
Kwon BS, Ha CM, Yu S, Lee BC, Ro JY, Hwang S (2012) Microscopic nodes and ducts inside lymphatics and on the surface of internal organs are rich in granulocytes and secretory granules. Cytokine 60(2):587–592
Hong M, Park SS, Do H, Jhon GJ, Suh M, Lee Y (2011) Primo vascular system of murine melanoma and heterogeneity of tissue oxygenation of the melanoma. J Acupunct Meridian Stud 4(3):e159–e163
Hong M, Park SS, Do H, Jhon GJ, Suh M, Lee Y (2012) Study of the primo-vascular system and location-dependent oxygen levels for a mouse embryo. J Nanosci Nanotechnol 12(7): 5168–5172
Jiang X, Lee BC, Choi C, Baik KY, Soh KS (2004) Tubular structure of intravascular thread-like structures from rats and rabbits. J Korean Phys Soc 44:1602–1604
Shin HS, Johng HM, Lee BC, Cho SI, Soh KS, Baik KY, Yoo JS, Soh KS (2005) Feulgen reaction study of novel threadlike structures (Bonghan ducts) on the surface of mammalian organs. Anat Rec B New Anat 284(1):35–40
Dai JX, Lee BC, An P, Su Z, Qu R, Eom KH, Soh KS (2011) In vivo in situ staining of the primo vascular system in ventricles and subarachnoid space of brain by injecting trypan blue into the lateral ventricle. Neural Regen Res 6(28):2171–2175
Nam MH, Lim JK, Choi SH, Kim SC, Soh KS (2012) A primo vascular system underneath the superior sagittal sinus in the brain of a rabbit. J Acupunct Meridian Stud 5(5):210–217
Lee HS, Park WH, Je A-R, Kweon HS, Lee BC (2012) Evidence for novel structures (primo vessels and primo nodes) floating in the venous sinuses of rat brains. Neurosci Lett 522(2):98–102
Lee BC, Kim HB, Sung B, Kim KW, Sohn J, Son B, Chang B-J, Soh KS (2012) Structure of the sinus in the primo vessel inside the bovine cardiac chambers. In: Soh KS, Kang KA, Harrison DH (eds) The primo vascular system: its role in cancer and regeneration. Springer, New York, pp 57–62
Lee BC, Kim KW, Soh KS (2009) Visualizing the network of bonghan ducts in the omentum and peritoneum by using trypan blue. J Acupunct Meridian Stud 2(1):66–70
Baik KY, Lee J, Lee BC, Johng HM, Nam TJ, Sung B, Cho S, Soh KS (2005) Acupuncture meridian and intravascular bonghan duct. Key Eng Mater 277:125–129
Yoo JS, Kim MS, Ogay V, Soh KS (2008) In vivo visualization of bonghan ducts inside blood vessels of mice by using an Alcian blue staining method. Indian J Exp Biol 45(5):336–339
Lee BC, Soh KS (2008) Contrast-enhancing optical method to observe a bonghan duct floating inside a lymph vessel of a rabbit. Lymphology 41(4):178–185
Johng HM, Yoo JS, Yoon TJ, Shin HS, Lee BC, Lee C, Lee JK, Soh KS (2007) Use of magnetic nanoparticles to visualize threadlike structures inside lymphatic vessels of rats. Evid Based Complement Altern Med 4(1):77–82
Soh KS (2012) Current state of research on the primo vascular system. In: Soh KS, Kang KA, Harrison DH (eds) The primo vascular system: its role in cancer and regeneration. Springer, New York, pp 25–40
Yoo JS, Kim HB, Won N, Bang J, Kim S, Ahn S, Lee BC, Ahn S, Soh KS (2011) Evidence for an additional metastatic route: in vivo imaging of cancer cells in the primo-vascular system around tumors and organs. Mol Imaging Biol 13(3):471–480
Heo C, Hong MY, Jo A, Lee YH, Suh M (2011) Study of the primo vascular system utilizing a melanoma tumor model in a green fluorescence protein expressing mouse. J Acupunct Meridian Stud 4(3):e198–e202
Islam MA, Thomas SD, Slone S, Alatassi H, Miller DM (2013) Tumor-associated primo vascular system is derived from xenograft, not host. Exp Mol Pathol 94(1):84–90
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this paper
Cite this paper
Kang, K.A., Maldonado, C., Perez-Aradia, G., An, P., Soh, KS. (2013). Primo Vascular System and Its Potential Role in Cancer Metastasis. In: Van Huffel, S., Naulaers, G., Caicedo, A., Bruley, D.F., Harrison, D.K. (eds) Oxygen Transport to Tissue XXXV. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 789. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7411-1_39
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7411-1_39
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-7256-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7411-1
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)