Is nitric oxide important for the diastolic phase of the lymphatic contraction/relaxation cycle?

Phasic contractions of collecting lymphatic vessels aid in the centripetal propulsion of lymph. The numerical model published in PNAS by Kunert et al. (1) describes how two “complementary feedback loops” involving Ca2+ and nitric oxide (NO) interact to drive the phasic contraction/relaxation cycle of lymphatic smooth muscle. The cycle is proposed to be initiated by a stretch-induced rise in lymphatic muscle Ca2+, triggering a contraction (systole) that propels lymph through unidirectional valves. Subsequent elevation of shear stress in the narrow valve opening produces a burst …