The interstitium is a distinct organ rather than just interstitial space
Peer-reviewed literature notes that the interstitium has been recognized and redefined as an important organ system rather than merely passive interstitial space.
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Highly efficient organ-targeting transport through the ventral midline interstitial channels injection: a new development of interstitium. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.03.631270
Abstract How to improve the drugs bioavailability has always been a hot and difficult topic. Conventional drug delivery methods, such as oral administration and the blood circulation system, suffer from issues such as low targeting efficiency, low bioavailability, and high side effects. Recently, interstitium has gradually been recognized as an important new organ. Interstitial injection allows small molecules to move through interstitial channels with interstitial fluid flow and be transported to organs, providing new possibilities for drug delivery. In this study, using fluorescein sodium as a drug model, we systematically investigated the distribution of the fluorescein sodium in organs and body surface of the rats after ventral midline interstitial channels injection. In addition, we observed the microstructure of the ventral midline interstitial channels of abdominal wall and the effects of channels ligation on fluorescein sodium delivery and target organs, to explore the mechanism of interstitial injection. We found that fluorescein sodium can be efficiently transported to the uterus and ovaries along the ventral midline interstitial channels, and the parallel fibers and interconnected interstitial spaces of the channels facilitate long-distance transport of solutes. Additionally, the blockage of the transmission through those channels had results in a significant decrease in targeted transport efficiency over long distances, a decrease in oestrogen levels, organ coefficients, and body weights in female rats. Therefore, the ventral midline interstitial channels with free fluid flow may be a potential communication pathway between body surface and organs. These findings have significant value in the development of drug delivery.
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The fascial-interstitial system and the sanjiao-mocou system: an analogy-based hypothesis for the anatomical basis of meridian pathways.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2026.1795656
<h4>Background</h4>The anatomical basis of meridian pathways remains a central challenge in modernizing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Concurrently, modern science has redefined the integrated fascial-interstitial system as a pervasive, fluid-filled cavitary organ system involved in signaling and transport. This parallel invites novel theoretical integration.<h4>Objective</h4>This review proposes a translational hypothesis positing that the classical TCM concept of the "Sanjiao-Mocou" system is analogous to the modern fascial-interstitial system, together constituting the anatomical and functional substrate of meridians.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a systematic comparative analysis of classical TCM texts describing the Sanjiao (Triple Energizer) and Mocou (interstitial spaces) and contemporary literature on the structure and function of the fascial-interstitial system. This theoretical integration focuses on their shared attributes: being ubiquitous, fluid-transporting, cavity-containing connective tissue systems that facilitate systemic communication and homeostasis.<h4>Findings</h4>The hypothesis elucidates how the Sanjiao-Mocou system, long understood as the "passageway for Yuan-Primordial Qi and body fluids," aligns closely with the fascial-interstitial system's role in interstitial fluid transport, mechanotransduction, and immune surveillance. This analogy provides a coherent, testable model where meridians may be conceptualized as specialized functional channels within this pervasive cavitary organ.<h4>Conclusion</h4>The proposed analogy bridges a foundational TCM theory with contemporary biomedical science. It offers a potential anatomical framework for understanding meridians and opens new avenues for interdisciplinary research in biomechanics, fluid dynamics, and integrative physiology, potentially advancing the understanding of both TCM and fascial science.
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