BACKGROUND:Corneal lymphangiogenesis is beneficial to the transport of corneal antigenic materials, and accelerates the process of antigen presentation, thereby playing an important role in corneal immunity. However, due to the paral el outgrowth of corneal blood and lymphatic vessels in transplanted corneas, it is often difficult to accurately evaluate the role of corneal lymphatic vessels in allograft rejection. OBJECTIVE:To explore the development of corneal lymphangiogenesis and angiogenesis in transplanted rat corneas after the blockade of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C). METHODS:130 rats used to establish corneal al ogenic transplantation models were equally randomized into two groups:the anti-VEGF-C group and the control group. VEGF-C was blocked in the anti-VEGF-C group by intraperitoneal injection of neutralizing monoclonal anti-VEGF-C antibody every other day for 2 consecutive weeks. Meanwhile, rats in control groups received intraperitoneal injections of saline. Corneal angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis were characterized using whole mount immunofluorescence, and the immune rejection of the grafts was evaluated by scoring the rejection index (RI). In addition, the expression of VEGF-C was examined by real-time PCR. The relationship of corneal lymphangiogenesis and angiogenesis to RI in transplanted corneas was also characterized. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:VEGF-C expression was markedly downregulated after VEGF-C blockade. Corneal lymphangiogenesis developed in parallel with corneal angiogenesis in the control group. While there was a mild reduction in blood vessel area (BVA) and a significant decrease in lymphatic vessel area (LVA) in the anti-VEGF-C group (P<0.05). In addition, RI was positively correlated with BVA (P<0.05) and LVA (P<0.05) in the control group. However, although RI was significantly correlated with BVA (P<0.05) in the anti-VEGF-C group, the correlation between RI and LVA was not statistically significant (P>0.05). the graft survival time in the anti-VEGF-C group was significantly increased compared with that in the control group (P<0.05). Our results show that the outgrowth of lymphatic vessels is separated from that of blood vessels in transplanted corneas by blocking VEGF-C. The blockade of VEGF-C has a significant role in preventing corneal lymphangiogenesis in corneal beds, which results in higher al ograft survival rates.