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MINI REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Systems Immunology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1537753
Navigating the Vascular Landscape: Spatio-Temporal Mechanisms of Leukocyte Extravasation in Inflammation
Provisionally accepted
Jian Song 1*
Yujuan Qin 2- 1 University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
- 2 Graduate School, Youjiang Medical College for Nationalities, Baise, China
Leukocyte extravasation across postcapillary venules is a fundamental process in immune function, enabling immune surveillance, inflammation resolution, and response to pathological stimuli. This review synthesizes current understanding of the spatio-temporal mechanisms underlying leukocyte migration, focusing on the interplay between chemotactic signaling, endothelial-leukocyte adhesion, structural properties of vascular barriers and the temporal regulation of leukocyte trafficking by the circadian rhythm. We explore specialized features of postcapillary venules, including high endothelial venules in lymphoid tissues and the stringent blood-brain barrier in the central nervous system, which shape leukocyte trafficking and immune responses. In addition, we search the diurnal variations of leukocyte trafficking influenced by the circadian rhythm, which ensures that immune cells are optimally positioned to respond to pathogens and maintain tissue homeostasis. In the advances in live imaging techniques, which have provided unprecedented insights into the spatio-temporal dynamics of immune cell migration, illuminating the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate extravasation. This review highlights emerging research on leukocyte-endothelial interactions, the role of extracellular matrix components, and organ-specific adaptations, offering a comprehensive framework for understanding immune cell trafficking in health and disease.
Keywords: Leukocyte extravasation, Chemotaxis, High endothelial venules (HEVs), Blood-brain barrier (BBB), live imaging
Received: 01 Dec 2024; Accepted: 17 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Song and Qin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jian Song, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
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