To gain insight into the molecular mechanism(s) underpinning stimulation of LEC sprouting by macrophages, we considered paracrine secretion of VEGFC, a potent lymphangiogenic factor known to be expressed by cardiac macrophages in a myocardial infarction setting (Vieira et al., 2018), and cell-adhesion molecules previously implicated in leukocyte-endothelium interactions during immune response, specifically integrin subunit β2 (ITGB2; also known as CD18)- and hyaluronan (HA)-dependent pathways (Gahmberg, 1997; Jackson, 2019; Johnson et al., 2017). The gene discussed is VEGFC; the disease is myocardial infarction.