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Chapter 3 - Lymphatic System - Summary Notes

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NUR SHAQEENA AINA SHAKRY
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Chapter 3 - Lymphatic System - Summary Notes

Uploaded by

NUR SHAQEENA AINA SHAKRY
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 3 – Lymphatic System – summary notes

3.1 Functions of Lymphatic System


Lymphatic system consists of lymphatic vessels, and lymphoid tissues & organs.
1. Lymphatic vessels transport fluids that have escaped from the blood vascular system
back to the blood.
2. Transports absorbed fats from intestines to blood.
3. Lymphoid tissues & organs house phagocytic cells and lymphocytes for body defense
and resistance to disease.

3.2 Formation of Lymph


• Blood pressure in the arterial end of blood capillary pushes fluid (water & small molecules
such as sugars, salts, oxygen, urea) through the capillary wall, forming the interstitial fluid.
• Blood cells and proteins are too large to pass through the capillary wall, which remain in the
capillaries, causing an increase in the blood osmolarity.
• The resulting osmotic gradient pulls water into the blood capillary by osmosis near the
venous end.
• About 85% of the fluid that leaves the blood at the arterial end of blood capillary re-enters
from the interstitial fluid at the venous end, and the remaining 15% of the fluid enters the
lymphatic capillary forming the lymph.

Comparison of blood, interstitial fluid, and blood.


Blood Interstitial Fluid Lymph
Red blood cells Present Absent Absent
White blood cells Present Absent Present
Protein Present Absent Absent
Lipid Present Absent Present
3.3 Lymphatic Pathway

• Lymphatic vessels: one-way system, ‘pumpless’, lymph flows toward the heart, thin-walled,
larger vessels have valves.
• Lymph is transported from the lymph capillaries →larger lymphatic vessels → lymphatic
duct →blood vessel near the heart.

There are 2 lymphatic ducts:


1. Right lymphatic duct: drains the lymph from the right arm and the right side of the head and
thorax into the right subclavian vein of the blood system.
2. Thoracic duct: drains the lymph from the rest of the body into the left subclavian vein of the
blood system.
3.4 Lymphoid Tissues & Organs

1. Lymph Node

• Protects the body by removing foreign material such as bacteria and tumor cells from the
lymphatic system
• Protects the body by producing lymphocytes that function in the immune response.

Lymph node varies in shape and size, mostly are kidney-shaped and less than 1 inch long.

Its cortex contains lymphocytes & its medulla houses the phagocytic macrophages.

Lymph enters the convex side of a lymph node through afferent lymphatic vessels and exits via
efferent lymphatic vessels.

There is more afferent lymphatic vessel than efferent lymphatic vessels.

The flow of lymph through the lymph node is very slow which allows time for the lymphocytes and
macrophages to perform their protective function.
2. Spleen

• Filters and cleanses blood of bacteria, viruses & other debris.


• Destroys worn-out red blood cells and return some of their breakdown products to the liver.
• Act as a blood reservoir
• In fetus, the spleen is an important hematopoietic (blood cell-forming) site, but only
lymphocytes are produced in adult.

3. Thymus

• Produces hormone thymosin to program lymphocytes.


• Maturation site for T lymphocyte.

4. Tonsils

• To trap and remove any bacteria or other foreign pathogens entering the throat.

5. Peyer’s patches

• To capture and destroy bacteria, thus preventing them from penetrating the intestinal wall.

Happy Reading….

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