The human body has a natural mechanism of defense through which foreign pathogenic microorganisms are eliminated. The white blood cells work in collaboration with immune proteins present in the blood plasma for foster immunity of the body to foreign microorganisms. However, the composition of the immune system incorporates the lymphatic system, which helps in complementing the performance of the immune system. The lymphatic system is essential in the body as it immune system and performs homeostasis role in the body.
The Major Structures and Functions of the Lymphatic System
The lymphatic system is composed of two main parts. One of the components is the Lymphatic tissue. The lymphatic tissues include the lymphoid organs and the lymphoid follicles. The other component of the lymphatic system is the lymphatic vessels. The lymphatic vessels are closed at the ends to confine the lymphatic fluid. These simple networks of lymphatic vessels join up to make the larger version of the lymphatic vessels called the lymph trunk. The role of the lymph trunk is to collect lymph from the various organs in the body (Quizon, Lee & Krone, 2020). The major lymph trunks in the body include jugular trunks that transport lymph that contains fat from the ileum, subclavian trunk, and lumbar trunk, which drain lymph from limbs. These trunks allow lymph to move along under low pressure. The performance of the lymphatic system is under low pressure because it lacks an isolated pump.
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Functions of the Lymphatic System
One of the crucial roles played by the lymphatic system is the immune role. The lymphatic system helps to eliminate pathogens from the mammalian body. The immune role is performed in the lymphoid organs through a system of filtration. The pathogens present in the lymph are filtered by passing the lymph through the thick network of lymphatic capillaries, which trap the available pathogens. Another role played by the lymphatic system is the management of the interstitial fluid volume (Quizon, Lee & Krone, 2020). The interstitial fluid refers to the amount of fluid left after water is filtered from the plasma. The level of interstitial fluid should be regulated to ensure the effective performance of the blood plasm. Besides, the lymphatic system is also responsible for the reabsorption of fats. Fat is absorbed through the lymphatic system because the fat droplets are too large to penetrate through the capillary cells.
How the Lymphatic System Interact with Other Body Systems to Help In Maintaining Homeostasis
The lymphatic system maintains homeostasis through coordinating with the circulatory system. The homeostasis role of the lymphatic system is depicted in balancing the levels of the interstitial fluids in the body. During the process of filtration, the blood plasma losses a significant amount of water and such into the lymphatic system (Roth & Horowitz, 2017). The water loss from plasma is essential in the circulatory system since excess of the loss can lead to a reduction of blood levels and pressure. To maintain the number of water levels in the plasma at a balance, the lymphatic system transports the excess plasma fluids into the cardiovascular system. Once the fluids reach the plasma, blood volumes rise, and blood pressure stabilizes.
Conclusively, the lymphatic system compliments the immune system of a human being. The lymphatic system comprises of lymphatic vessels and the lymphatic tissues. The uniqueness in the structure of lymphatic vessels in the closed nature of the ends. Thin lymphatic capillaries join to form a more defined network of trunks. The roles played by the lymphatic system in the body include the absorption of fats, homeostasis, and balancing in the amounts of interstitial fluids. The lymphatic system maintains homeostasis by balancing the amount of fluid loss from plasma to avoid low blood levels and pressure.
Fever and Inflammation
The human body produces various reactions to the invasion of pathogens. Once the body is under attack from foreign pathogens, it causes various intrinsic responses that aim at neutralizing the multiple pathogens. Fever is indicated by a rise in the temperature of human beings, and it is caused by several factors. Inflammation is caused by a reaction against micro bacteria that could have entered the body through cuts or ingestion (Randolph et al., 2017). Justification on the rationale of fever and inflammation requires credible scrutiny of fever and inflammation as reactions against pathogenic attacks.
The Rationale of Fever and Inflammations as Body Defense Mechanisms
Fever is an action of the body that is induced by the introduction of infectious microorganisms in the body. The human body produces pyrogens to regulate the various body heat due to infection. Pyrogens are chemicals that alter the functionality of the hypothalamus domain of the human brain. Once pyrogens are released, influence the hypothalamus to alter the functionality of heat neurons, which respond by recording low body temperature than the actual temperature. When heat neurons record low temperatures, the body automatically starts generating extra temperature. These extra temperatures effected in the body are referred to as fever (Randolph et al., 2017). For instance, if the body is under the attack of plasmodium malarie, the body produces pyrogens which send a signal to the heat-sensitive neurons to lower sensitivity to temperature. Lowering the sensitivity of temperature by the neurons makes the body produce more heat to compensate for the low heat detection in the body and hence resulting in fever. The phenomenon proves the rationale of fever as a defense mechanism.
Inflammations are body protection mechanisms that are induced by the damaging of living tissues in the body. For instance, once an individual is injured, several changes in the body occur. One of the phenomenal occurrences is a change in the intensity of blood flow, and the blood vessels become more permeable. Besides, proteins and leukocytes then move to the injured region. The white blood cells and the proteins engulf the injured location to repair the damaged tissues (Randolph et al., 2017). This phenomenon causes inflammation. Inflammations are reliable indicators of the action of the white blood cells. After a few days of inflammation, the swollen part begins to produce a purse. Purse is a composition of the replaced tissues and the dead Leukocytes. The actions of white blood cells during inflammations prove the rationale of inflammations as body defense mechanisms.
Conclusively, the human body uses fever and inflammations as defense mechanisms against the attack of the body by foreign microorganisms. Fever is caused by pyrogens chemicals that alter the performance of heat sensing neurons. Fever occurs as the body tries to adjust to the sudden detection of low temperature by the heat neurons. Inflammations are caused by white blood cells as they engulf pathogens. When an injury occurs, proteins and white blood cells crowd the inured region in the realm of tissue repair and hence causing inflammation.
Antibodies and How They Function
Antibodies are another type of body defense mechanism that the body uses in case of threats from invading pathogens. Immunoglobulin, as commonly referred, is a type of protein that fights invading microorganisms through a unique style of engulfing and consumption (Thompson et al., 2019). Antibodies are credibly effective and complex in their performance because they operate through a credibly executed plan. Antibodies occur naturally in the body, and the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms influences their induction in the body.
Description of Antibodies, the Main Purpose and How They Function
Antibodies are part of the body defense proteins which react against invaders in the body. The main purpose of antibodies is to defend the body from the threats of antigens. Antibodies perform their defense role through a well-organized format through which they combat the invading antigens. When the body is under the attack of antigens, the body induces the defense mechanism, which begins with the production of enough antibodies to counter the antigens (Thompson et al., 2019). The human body produces antibodies in the proportional amount to the invading antigens. The body uses lymphocytes (B cells) in the synthesis of antibodies. B cells produce specialized antibodies according to the nature of the invading antigens.
Once the antibodies are produced, the move to the site was the antigens occupy. The antibodies work by surrounding the antigens. After the antigens are completely surrounded, the antibodies identify and assign them to the identical antigen. Every antibody matches a certain antigen, and only identical antigen and antibodies can neutralize. After the antibodies identify and engulf the antigens, they attack in a style that does not allow the antigens to mutate (Thompson et al., 2019). The T-cells perform the attack on the various antigens that had been marked by the antibodies. After the T-cell stage of the attack, the antibodies engage in the last stage of the defense mechanism. The last stage in the performance of antibodies entails the cleanup of the antigens that were destroyed. The cleaning process is performed by the phagocyte cells. The phagocytes perform their cleaning task through digesting the dead antigens.
What Antibodies React to and Their Composition
Antibodies react against antigens. Antigens are proteins in nature. However, some complex antigens could be peptides or even polysaccharides. The most complex bacterial toxin is made of a combination of lipids and polysaccharides to make lipopolysaccharide.
Antibodies are natural proteins that protect the body from the invasion of antigens. Antibodies fight antigens through engulfing them using the matching B cells. The T cell then destroys the engulfed antigens. The last stage in the performance of antibodies is the cleaning digestion of destroyed by T cells. Phagocytes are responsible for digesting the dead antigens.
Human beings are protected from foreign substances by antibodies. When pathogens invade the body, such as those responsible for causing fever and inflammation cause a response in the body. The lymphatic system responds by producing the antibodies and making sure that the immunity of an individual is maintained.
References
Randolph, G. J., Ivanov, S., Zinselmeyer, B. H., & Scallan, J. P. (2017). The lymphatic system: integral roles in immunity. Annual review of immunology, 35, 31-52.
Roth, J., & Horowitz, M. (2017). Inflammation, fever, and body temperature under febrile conditions. Journal of basic and clinical physiology and pharmacology, 28(6), 519-520.
Thompson, J. S., Serverson, C. D., Goeken, N. E., & Rhoades, J. (2019). Granulocyte and monocyte antigens and antibodies. HLA Typing: Methodology and Clinical Aspects, 2.
Quizon, A., Lee, E. Y., & Krone, K. (2020). Respiratory System Lymphatic Disorders. In Imaging in Pediatric Pulmonology (pp. 283-291). Springer, Cham.
