Expression levels of phosphorylated VEGFR2 and MSK1 positively correlate with lymphatic markers in human skin tissues with hypertension. (A, B) Representative immunostaining of p-MSK1 (A) and p-VEGFR2 (B) in normotensive and hypertensive patients with quantification of integrated density per area at right. Scale bar: 50 μm. (C–F) Relationship of skin phosphorylated MSK1 (C), p-VEGFR2 (D), and podoplanin (E) expression and Na⁺ content (F) with systolic blood pressure in normotensive and hypertensive patients. (G) Model of lymphatic endothelial A_2AR-mediated VEGF-independent activation of VEGFR2 signaling in dermal lymphangiogenesis and sodium balance. Data in (A) and (B) are presented as mean ± standard error mean and were analyzed by unpaired two-tailed t test. Data in (C)–(F) were analyzed by simple linear regression, and the Pearson correlation was calculated as the square root of r². P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. intDen, integrated density.