lymphatic Flashcards
What are the main functions of the lymphatic and immune system?
Draining excess interstitial fluid, Transporting dietary lipids
Carrying out immune responses
What is the major difference between lymph and interstitial fluid?
Location
What mean lack of resistance?
Susceptibility
Describe how lymphatic capillaries are one-way only vessels.
The ends of the endothelial cells in the wall of the lymphatic capillary overlap. When pressure is higher in the interstitial fluid than in the lymph, the cells separate slightly allowing interstitial fluid into the vessel. When pressure is greater inside, the cells are tightly packed, not allowing the lymph to cross back into the interstitial fluid.
What causes lymph from the small intestines to appear white?
Lipids
List the organs of the immune system
Spleen, Lymph node, Lymph nodule, Red bone marrow and Thymus
The left subclavian vein and left internal jugular vein receive lymph from what?
Thoracic duct
What physiological systems use the skeletal muscle and respiratory pumps?
Lymphatic, Immune and Cardiovascular systems
Which organ produces a hormone that promotes maturation of T cells?
Thymus
In which part of the thymus are T cells thought to die?
Thymic (Hassall’s) corpuscles
What are the functions of the spleen?
Removal of RBCs
What are the physical and/or chemical barriers?
Saliva, Urine, Mucus, Stratified squamous epithelium
Describe the barriers used in innate defense.
Barriers used by the innate defense include epidermis, mucus, hairs, cilia, lacrimal apparatus, saliva, urine, vaginal secretions, sebum, perspiration and gastric juices.
Which cells provides a non-specific cellular disease resistance mechanism?
Macrophages
What are immunocompetent cells?
When B and T cells are fully developed and mature
Genetic recombination generates diversity in what part (s) of the immune system?
MHC antigen and antigen receptors
Which class of cells includes macrophages, B cells and dendritic cells?
Antigen presenting cells
To become activated, which of the following requires being bound to a foreign antigen AND simultaneous costimulation?
T Cell
Which cells display CD4 proteins and interact with MHC Class II antigens?
Helper T Cells
List the five actions of antibodies.
Solution: Antibodies can act as a neutralizing agent, they can immobilize bacteria, agglutinate and precipitate the antigen, activate the complement and enhance phagocytosis.
Which class of antibodies is mainly found in sweat, tears, breast milk and GI secretions?
IgA
Describe the ways to acquire adaptive immunity.
Naturally acquired active immunity is acquired following exposure to a microbe, antigen recognition by B and T cells and costimulation leading to formation of antibody-secreting plasma cells, cytotoxic T cells, and B and T memory cells. Naturally acquired passive immunity occurs when IgG antibodies are transferred from mother to fetus across the placental barrier or IgA antibodies are transferred from mother to infant during breast-feeding. Artificially acquired active immunity is acquired via antigens introduced during vaccinations. Artificially acquired passive immunity is acquired via intravenous injection of immunoglobulins.
The ability to ward off the pathogens that produce disease is called immunity or resistance. Lack of resistance is called susceptibility. Immunity to disease can be grouped into two broad areas:
Innate (nonspecific) immunity) to disease includes defense mechanisms that provide general protection against invasion by a wide range of pathogens.
Adaptive (specific) immunity involves activation of specific lymphocytes that combat a particular pathogen or other foreign substance.
The body system that carries out immune responses is
the lymphatic system
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
The lymphatic system consists of a fluid called lymph flowing within lymphatic vessels, several structures and organs that contain lymphatic tissue (specialized reticular tissue containing large numbers of lymphocytes), and bone marrow, which is the site of lymphocyte production
Lymph and interstitial fluid are basically the same. Their major difference is location. The lymphatic system functions to:
Drain excess interstitial fluid from tissue spaces and return it to the blood, (Left over from what is not reabsorbed during bulk flow).
return leaked plasma proteins to the blood,
Transport lipid and lipid soluble vitamins (ADEK) absorbed from the GIT to the blood,
protect against invasion by nonspecific defenses and specific immune responses.
Lymphatic Vessels and Lymph Circulation
Lymphatic vessels begin as blind-ended lymph capillaries in tissue spaces between cells
Interstitial fluid drains into lymphatic capillaries, thus forming lymph .
Lymph capillaries merge to form larger lymphatic vessels which convey lymph into and out of structures called lymph nodes (Figure 22.1).
Lymph vessels are like veins with thinner walls and more valves. Lymph nodes are encapsulated bean shaped structures that contain lots of T and B cells.
are found throughout the body and generally follow same route as veins . There are no lymph capillaries in avascular tissue, the central nervous system , portions of the spleen, and red bone marrow.
have a slightly larger diameter than blood capillaries and have overlapping endothelial cells that work as one-way valve for fluid to enter the lymphatic capillary. (The endothelial cells overlap and when pressure is greater in the interstitial fluid than lymph the cells separate and fluid enters through a 1 way swinging door. When pressure inside the vessel exceeds interstitial pressure the cells adhere closely and lymph cannot escape.)
Anchoring filaments are elastic fibers that extend out to attach lymph vessel to surrounding tissues
When there is excess fluid/swelling in the tissue the anchoring filaments are pulled and this helps open up the endothelial spaces in the vessels.
Lymphatic capillaries
A lymphatic capillary in the villus of the small intestine is the lacteal . It functions to transport digested fat from the small intestine into blood. The lymph fluid in lacteals is called chyle . (Called lacteals because the lymph juice (chyle) is milky looking due to the lipids.)
begins as a dilation called the cisterna chyli) and is the main collecting duct of the lymphatic system.
receives lymph from the left side of the head, neck, and chest, the left upper extremity, and the entire body below the diaphragm.
It drains lymph into venous blood at the junction of the left subclavian vein and the left internal jugular vein.
The thoracic duct
The right lymphatic duct drains lymph from the upper right side of the body.
It drains lymph into venous blood at the junction of the right subclavian vein and right internal jugular vein.
Right Lymphatic Duct
Formation and Flow of Lymph
drains into lymph capillaries. (Approx. 3L/day, also pick up any leaked plasma proteins and return to blood).
The passage of lymph is from the blood capillaries (blood) to interstitial spaces (interstitial fluid) to lymph capillaries (lymph) to lymphatic vessels to lymph trunks to the thoracic duct or right lymphatic duct to the junction of the subclavian and internal jugular veins (blood)
Lymph flows as a result of the milking action of skeletal muscle contractions and respiratory movements.
It is also aided by lymphatic vessel valves that prevent backflow of lymph.
Interstitial fluid
Lymphatic Organs and Tissues:
The primary lymphatic organs are the red bone marrow and the thymus gland that produces B and T cells. These are areas where stem cells divide and become immunocompetent. Pluripotent stem cells in red bone marrow make immunocompetent B cells and pre T cells which then go to thymus to become immunocompetent.
The secondary lymphatic organs are the lymph nodes and spleen. Most immune responses occur in secondary lymphatic organs. The lymphatic nodules (clusters of lymphocytes that stand guard in all mucus membranes) are included as secondary lymphatic organs.
lies between the sternum and the heart and functions in immunity as the site of T cell maturation. It has 2 lobes separated by a capsule with extensions called trabeculae that divide the lobe into lobules.
The lobules have an outer cortex containing T cells, dendritic cells, epithelial cells, macrophages and is the site for maturation of T cells (with help from dendritic cells). (Only 2% of pre T cells survive maturation and move into the medulla.
Medulla also has thymic corpuscles (Hassall’s) possibly sites of T cell death in medulla).
The thymus gland is large in infants and after puberty much of it is replaced by adipose and areolar connective tissue. Through whole life it will produce some T cells.
The thymus gland
are encapsulated oval structures located along lymphatic lymphatic vessels.There are approximately 600 throughout the body.
They contain T cells, macrophages, follicular dendritic cells, and B cells.
The capsule surrounding lymph nodes extends projections (trabeculae) into the node to divide it into compartment.
Medulla contains B cells, macrophages, and antibody producing plasma cells
Foreign substances filtered by the lymph nodes are trapped by nodal reticular fibers.
Macrophages then destroy some foreign substances by phagocytosis and lymphocytes bring about the destruction of others by immune responses.
Lymph nodes are the site of proliferation of plasma cells and T cells.
Lymph nodes
Lymph enters nodes through afferent lymphatic vessels, is filtered to remove damaged cells and microorganisms, and exits through efferent lymphatic vessels. (The route of the lymph in a lymph node is as follow: Afferent vessels – subcapsular sinus – trabecular sinus – medullary sinus – efferent vessels)