Michelle Branch

01/30/2011
Biology 25

The Magnificent Lymphatic System

The purpose of this paper is to give a comprehensive layout of the lymphatic system,
including its constituent anatomical parts, its functional roles in maintaining homeostasis,
relations to other body organ systems, and ways in which it relates to daily life. The lymphatic
system is a subset of the circulatory system that is responsible for passing nutrients such as
amino acids, electrolytes, and lymph, as well as gases, hormones, blood cells, and other materials
to and from all the cells of the body. The other part of the circulatory system is the cardiovascular
system. The cardiovascular system is responsible for the distribution of blood throughout the
body, while the lymphatic system is responsible for the distribution of lymph, which is
effectively parts of blood, and blood plasma that has escaped from the blood capillaries and need
to be cleaned up and returned to the bloodstream. The transportation of lymph is about 3 liters a
day, while the transportation of blood is about 5 liters per minute, and lymph moves only
unidirectional thanks to the motions of skeletal muscles, the lungs, and the smooth muscle fibers
of the lymphatic vessels.
Lymph is a bodily fluid formed when the interstitial fluid the fluid that occupies the space
between, or interstices, of all the tissues of the body, and hence what is responsible for the body
being mostly liquid is collected through the lymph capillaries; once the fluid enters the lumen
of the lymph capillaries it is known as lymph. The only tissues of the body where there are no
lymph capillaries surrounding the cells are the central nervous system, and non-vascular tissue.
The lymph capillaries are larger in diameter than blood capillaries, and they drain the excess
tissue fluids from around the cells of the body to return those fluids, after filtration by the

lymphatic system, to venous (non-oxygenated) blood. The lymph capillaries have a unique
structure that allows for the flow of interstitial fluid into them, but not out again. Several
endothelial cells overlap to create the wall of a lymph capillary; as the pressure of the interstitial
fluid rises above that of the lymph in the capillary, the endothelial cells separate just enough for
more fluid to flow in, without allowing the lymph to flow out. Thus the lymph enters the lymph
capillaries by a process of osmosis (Baluk et al, 2349). Lymph capillaries are held in place to
their surrounding tissues via protein filaments made mostly of platelet endothelial cell adhesion
molecule-1 (PECAM-1) that attach lymphatic endothelial cells to them; if tissue swelling occurs
the filament are pulled out to allow more interstitial fluid to flow into the capillaries and reduce
the swelling. (Tortora, 512). The lymph capillaries form an extraordinary network with a
tremendous amount of anastomoses (Rosse, 72). Anastomoses are reconnections of two streams
that previously branched out in a network. A high presence of them means the network is very
fine, has lots of redundancy built in, and is highly effective.
The lymph capillaries drain into larger lymphatic vessels called lymphatics. Often they are
called the collecting lymphatics, and are built out of smooth muscle and valves. These lymphatic
vessels, or lymphatics are contractile, unlike the blind ended lymph capillaries that function via
osmosis that works based on the pressure of the interstitial fluid; the lymphatics transport lymph
based on muscle movements, since there is no equivalent to the heart pumping lymph through
the lymphatic system. The unit of lymphatics is the lymphangion, which refers to a segment
between two valves of a vessel. Thanks to the contractile nature of the lymphatics the valve
chambers can either propel the lymph forward through them, or create resistance to halt the
lymph in its tracks (Venugopal et al, 3700-3).

As more and more lymph capillaries that absorb interstitial fluid flow into a bigger, and
bigger lymphatic, and that lymphatic guides its flow into a lymph node it is called an afferent
lymphatic vessel. Lymphatics that guide the flow of lymph out of a lymph node are efferent
lymphatic vessels. Efferent lymphatic vessels may propel the lymph into another lymph node, a
vein, or a larger lymph duct. The network of lymphatic vessels is spread throughout the body,
and makes up a huge portion of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic vessels are complementary
to the cardiovascular system since lymph is essentially cleansed, and recycled blood plasma.
There are two major lymph ducts, both of which ultimately empty into the subclavian veins.
The smaller of the two ducts is the right lymphatic duct, which drains lymph into the right
subclavian vein at the root of the neck where it lies along the anterior scalene muscle. It is 1.25
cm in length, and is responsible for draining the lymph from the upper right section of the trunk,
right arm, right side of the head, and neck, and, in some unusual individuals, the lower left lung
(Schuenke et al, 136). The left lymphatic duct is also known as the thoracic duct, and is the
largest lymphatic vessel in the adult body measuring 38-35cm in length, with a 5mm average
diameter. It drains into the left subclavan vein. The duct begins in the abdomen at the confluence
of the right and left lumber trunks and the intestinal trunk; this forms a large pathway that
extends upwards known as the cisterna chyli. The duct curves behind the left carotid artery and
left internal jugular vein to drain into the left subclavian and jugular veins around the shoulders.
The thoracic duct transports about 4 L of lymph a day via the action of breathing; the large flow
is enabled by the smooth muscle the duct is constructed from, as well as a series of internal
valves that prevent back flow. There are also two valves specifically at the junction of the duct
with the left subclavian vein to prevent venous blood from flowing into it. All of the lymph

capillaries, lymphatics, and the right and left ducts constitute the conducting system of the
lymphatic system.
The lymphoid tissue is the second part of the lymphatic system. It is involved with the
immune system. The lymphoid tissue consists of lymphocytes plus other types of white blood
cells that are enmeshed in the connective tissue that the lymph passes through. Areas of tissue
that are densely packed with lymphocytes are named lymphoid follicles. Lymph nodes represent
structurally well organized a areas of lymphoid tissue, while the loosely organized portion of the
lymphoid tissue is referred to as the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), which is
simply a system of concentrations of lymphoid tissue found throughout the body. Locations of
these concentrations include the gastrointestinal tract, thyroid, breast, lung, salivary glands, and
the eyes. MALT contains lymphocytes such as T and B cells, in addition to plasma cells and
macrophages, all of which are designed to attack antigens. MALT plays a primary role in
regulating the mucosal immunity of the body.
In addition the lymph nodes there are primary and secondary lymphoid organs, which
produce lymphocytes from immature progenitor cells. The thymus, and the bone marrow are the
primary lymphoid organs. The secondary lymphoid organs are all those sites associates with the
MALT, and also include the adenoids, spleen, and tonsils. Mature lymphocytes circulate between
all of the secondary organs until they meet their target antigens. If its target antigen activates a
mature lymphocyte then clonal expansion and affinity maturation occur immediately.
Finally, there are lymph vessels that are called lacteals, which are present in the lining of
the gastrointestinal tract mainly in the small intestine and are designed to absord lipids (fats,
or fatty acids) to be transported into blood circulation via the thoracic duct. Lymph enriched by

fatty acids is known as chyle. The liver then processes the nutrients in the chyle that are released
into the circulatory system after the systematic circulation through the lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system clearly relates most strongly to the circulatory system of which it is
a part, the cardiovascular system, the immune system, and the digestive system. All of the above
can be quite clearly seen in the overlapping functionality of the lymphatic system. It is especially
important to the circulatory and cardiovascular systems because as blood circulates through the
body, blood plasma leaks into the bodys tissue via the thin walls of the blood capillaries. This is
what constitutes the interstitial fluid of the body, and ends up becoming lymph. Thus the
lymphatic system works in tandem with the cardiovascular system as a kind of cleanup crew.
This is vital to maintaining homeostasis since it serves to keep the bodys fluid levels in check.
When the lymph system fails to do its job then Edema results, which is basically swelling caused
by excess fluid buildup. It is also related to the somewhat mythologized disorder Elephantiasis,
which is essentially chronic Edema caused by parasitic worms that can only live in lymph (Niwa,
189).
The lymphatic system overlaps strongly with the immune system by manufacturing, and
distributing lymphocytes, which are the primary agents of immune defense. Through the MALT
the lymphatic system maintains the mucosal integrity of the body. The homeostatic role the
lymphatic system helps fill here is that of fighting diseases. Problems with this part of the
lymphatic system create serious issues obviously, as they result in an inability to fight off
diseases, which leads to death. The lymphatic system is crucial in removing toxins from the
body. All of the lymph nodes act as filtration sites for destroying pathogens, inactivating toxins,
and removing particular matter from the lymph. Thus, the lymph nodes are your first line of
defense against infection (Sherwood, 367).

Finally, the lymphatic system supports the digestive system by absorbing fatty acids via
the lacteals. It also transports these fatty acids to the appropriate places in the body where they
can be used to makeup the cell membrane. The lymphatic system also enables the redistribution
of fatty acids into various compartments in the body so they can be most effectively used, stored,
or processed. Mainly it transports them to the liver. It is clear that without the lymphatic system
you would be unable to process fats which are an essential part of your diet since they are
necessary to maintain your cell membrane that controls what goes in and our of your cells. This
is quite obviously a critical role in homeostasis of the body then since without a strong cell
membrane all of your cell would deteriorate (Sherwood, 368).
The lymphatic system is incredibly useful, and crucial to your everyday life. Indeed, it is
often swollen lymph nodes that we are all familiar with that signal to us that we are ill. But
without those swollen lymph nodes we would be defenseless. Without the ability to maintain our
fluid levels we couldnt even move. Without being able to properly absorb and distribute fats we
would be unable to eat many different kinds of food that give us useful energy. The lymphatic
system is a very integrated system that is magnificent, and directly related to our must
fundamental activities as human beings.

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