〔Abstract〕 Objective To explore the influence of pulmonary lymphatic circulation disorder on the pathogenesis of silicosis. Methods A pulmonary lymphatic circulation disorder model was established by thoracic duct ligation. Twenty-four SPF adult male SD rats were randomly divided into control group, ligation control group, silicosis group and silicosis + ligation thoracic catheter group(hereinafter referred to as silicosis + ligation group) with 6 rats in each group. The control group was left untreated; the rats in the ligation control group were fed with thoracic duct ligation and the rats were fed normally; the rats in the silicosis group were established a silicosis model using dynamic dusting method(the concentration of SiO2dust in the dusting chamber was 2 000 mg/m3, and the rats were given dynamic dusting for 3 hours per day); the rats in the silicosis + ligation group were first surgically ligated to the rat thoracic duct, and then subjected to dynamic dust staining. The conditions for staining were the same as those in the silicosis group. HE staining was used to observe lung tissue pathological changes; Sirius scarlet staining was used to observe collagen Deposition; immunohistochemical observation of pulmonary lymphatic hyperplasia;Western blot was used to detect nuclear factor-κBp65(NF-κBp65), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3(VEGFR-3) and α-smooth muscle actin（α-SMA）in rat lung tissue.Results The results of HE and Sirius scarlet staining showed that the lung tissue lesions of the silicosis group and the silicosis + ligation group were more severe compared with the control group. The results of immunohistochemistry showed that there was lymphatic hyperplasia in the lung tissue of the rats in the silicosis group and the silicosis + ligation group. Western blot showed that the protein content of NF-κBp65 and α-SMA in lung tissues were higher in the silicosis + ligation group than that of the silicosis group(2.42±0.05)vs(1.80±0.01),(2.81±0.06)vs(2.57±0.01), respectively. On the contrary, the content of VEGFR-3 in the lung tissue of rats in the silicosis + ligation group was lower than that of the silicosis group(0.87±0.01)vs(0.97±0.03).Conclusion Ligation of the thoracic duct can cause lymphatic circulatory disorders in the lungs of silicosis rats and accelerate the onset of silicosis.