12

PART A
The Lymphatic System
and Body Defenses
PowerPoint® Lecture Slide Presentation by Jerry L. Cook, Sam Houston University

ESSENTIALS
OF HUMAN
ANATOMY
& PHYSIOLOGY
EIGHTH EDITION

ELAINE N. MARIEB

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

The Lymphatic System
 Consists of two semi-independent parts
 Lymphatic vessels
 Lymphoid tissues and organs
 Lymphatic system functions
 Transport fluids back to the blood
 Play essential roles in body defense and
resistance to disease

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Lymphatic Characteristics
 Lymph – excess tissue fluid carried by
lymphatic vessels
 Properties of lymphatic vessels
 One way system toward the heart
 No pump
 Lymph moves toward the heart
 Milking action of skeletal muscle
 Rhythmic contraction of smooth muscle in
vessel walls

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Lymphatic Vessels
 Lymph Capillaries
 Walls overlap to form flap-like minivalves
 Fluid leaks into lymph capillaries
 Capillaries are anchored to connective
tissue by filaments
 Higher pressure on the inside closes
minivalves

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Lymphatic Vessels

Figure 12.2
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Lymphatic Vessels
 Lymphatic collecting
vessels
 Collects lymph
from lymph
capillaries
 Carries lymph to
and away from
lymph nodes

Figure 12.1
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Lymphatic Vessels
 Lymphatic collecting
vessels (continued)
 Returns fluid to
circulatory veins
near the heart
 Right lymphatic
duct
 Thoracic duct

Figure 12.1
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Lymph
 Materials returned to the blood
 Water
 Blood cells
 Proteins

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Lymph
 Harmful materials that enter lymph vessels
 Bacteria
 Viruses
 Cancer cells
 Cell debris

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Lymph Nodes
 Filter lymph before it is returned to the blood
 Defense cells within lymph nodes
 Macrophages – engulf and destroy foreign
substances
 Lymphocytes – provide immune response
to antigens

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Lymph Nodes

Figure 12.3
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Lymph Node Structure
 Most are kidney-shaped, less than 1 inch long
 Cortex
 Outer part
 Contains follicles – collections of
lymphocytes
 Medulla
 Inner part
 Contains phagocytic macrophages

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Lymph Node Structure

Figure 12.4
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Flow of Lymph Through Nodes
 Lymph enters the convex side through
afferent lymphatic vessels
 Lymph flows through a number of sinuses
inside the node
 Lymph exits through efferent lymphatic
vessels
 Fewer efferent than afferent vessels causes
flow to be slowed

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

Other Lymphoid Organs
 Several other organs
contribute to
lymphatic function
 Spleen
 Thymus
 Tonsils
 Peyer’s patches

Figure 12.5
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The Spleen
 Located on the left side of the abdomen
 Filters blood
 Destroys worn out blood cells
 Forms blood cells in the fetus
 Acts as a blood reservoir

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The Thymus
 Located low in the throat, overlying the heart
 Functions at peak levels only during
childhood
 Produces hormones (like thymosin) to
program lymphocytes

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Tonsils
 Small masses of lymphoid tissue around the
pharynx
 Trap and remove bacteria and other foreign
materials
 Tonsillitis is caused by congestion with
bacteria

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Peyer’s Patches
 Found in the wall of the small intestine
 Resemble tonsils in structure
 Capture and destroy bacteria in the intestine

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Mucosa-Associated Lymphatic Tissue
(MALT)
 Includes:
 Peyer’s patches
 Tonsils
 Other small accumulations of lymphoid
tissue
 Acts as a sentinal to protect respiratory and
digestive tracts

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Body Defenses
 The body is constantly in contact with
bacteria, fungi, and viruses
 The body has two defense systems for foreign
materials
 Nonspecific defense system
 Specific defense system

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Body Defenses
 Nonspecific defense system
 Mechanisms protect against a variety of
invaders
 Responds immediately to protect body
from foreign materials
 Specific defense system
 Specific defense is required for each type
of invader
 Also known as the immune system

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Body Defenses

Figure 12.6
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Nonspecific Body Defenses
 Body surface coverings
 Intact skin
 Mucous membranes
 Specialized human cells
 Chemicals produced by the body

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Surface Membrane Barriers – First Line
of Defense
 The skin
 Physical barrier to foreign materials
 pH of the skin is acidic to inhibit bacterial
growth
 Sebum is toxic to bacteria
 Vaginal secretions are very acidic

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Surface Membrane Barriers – First Line
of Defense
 Stomach mucosa
 Secretes hydrochloric acid
 Has protein-digesting enzymes
 Saliva and lacrimal fluid contain lysozyme
 Mucus traps microogranisms in digestive and
respiratory pathways

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Defensive Cells
 Phagocytes
(neutrophils and
macrophages)
 Engulfs foreign
material into a
vacuole
 Enzymes from
lysosomes digest
the material

Figure 12.7a
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Events of Phagocytosis

Figure 12.7b
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Defensive Cells
 Natural killer cells
 Can lyse and kill cancer cells
 Can destroy virus- infected cells

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Inflammatory Response - Second Line of
Defense
 Triggered when body tissues are injured
 Produces four cardinal signs
 Redness
 Heat
 Swelling
 Pain
 Results in a chain of events leading to protection and
healing

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Functions of the Inflammatory Response
 Prevents spread of damaging agents
 Disposes of cell debris and pathogens
 Sets the stage for repair

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Steps in the Inflammatory Response

Figure 12.8
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Antimicrobial Chemicals
 Complement
 A group of at
least 20 plasma
proteins
 Activated
when they
encounter and
attach to cells
(complement
fixation)
Figure 12.10
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Antimicrobial Chemicals
 Complement
(continued)
 Damage foreign
cell surfaces
 Has
vasodilators,
chemotaxis, and
opsonization

Figure 12.10
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Antimicrobial Chemicals
 Interferon
 Secreted proteins of virus-infected cells
 Bind to healthy cell surfaces to inhibit
viruses binding

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