Lymphatic System
upper right area of the torso, right arm, and
➢ Plays a vital supporting role in both
cardiovascular and immune systems
➢ Plays a key role in the function of immune
system
➢ Maintains homeostasis by returning most of
fluid that has been diverted back into our
blood
Consists of three main parts:
➢ Lymph
○ Watery fluid that flows through your
lymphatic system
○ This watery solution does not
contain red blood cells, which
remain in the closed circulatory loop
because they are too large to pass
through capillary membranes
➢ Lymph Nodes
○ Basically checkpoints that monitor
and cleanse as it filters through.
○ House T cells that directly attack
invaders and manage the immune
system, B cells that secrete
antibodies into the blood,
macrophages that eat up foreign
substances, and reticular cells that
make the stroma scaffolding network
that supports all the other cells in
lymphoid tissue
○ Each lymph node is divided into
distinct cortex and medulla regions.
The outer cortex houses dividing B
cells, while its deeper areas contain
mostly T cells. The Medulla contains
both types of lymphocytes
Lymphatic Capillaries
➢ It is all over our body, but notably absent
from bones, bone marrow, teeth, and the
whole central nervous system, which has its
own special drainage system
➢ Made of loosely overlapping, endothelial
cells that look kind of roofing shingles,
forming little flap-like valves that only open
in one direction.
When the pressure in the interstitial space
becomes greater than the pressure inside the
lymphatic capillaries, the flaps push open and take
in fluid to relieve the pressure. Once the fluid is
inside a lymphatic capillary, we can officially call it
lymph, Then it flows through larger lymphatic
vessels to collecting vessels and then to larger
trunks and finally, into the lymph duct.
Right Lymphatic Duct
➢ Drains all the lymph collected from the
the right sides of the head and thorax and
feeds them all into the internal jugular vein.
Larger Thoracic Duct
➢ Takes lymph from the rest of the body, and
dumps it into the subclavian vein
Lymphatic Vessel
➢ Skeletal muscle movement, pressure
changes in the thorax during breathing, and
the pulsations of adjacent arteries also help
propel lymph along. Increased physical
activity or passive movements really help
keep that lymph flowing at a decent pace.
Lymphocytes are found in, and mature in, the loose
reticular connective tissue that makes up a large
part of the nodes and most of your other lymphoid
organs
❖ Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues or
MALTS
➢ They can be found in mucous
membranes around the body, outside of
the lymphatic vessels
➢ Tonsils
■ Tries to remove any pathogens
before they can enter the GI tract or
lungs
■ Form a ring around the entrance of
the pharynx
➢ Peyer’s Patches
■ Another checkpoint along the GI
tract
➢ Appendix
■ Contains a bunch of lymphoid tissue
to destroy any remaining bacteria
before it can breach the intestinal
wall
Special Lymphoid Organs
➢ Spleen
➢ Thymus
➢ Adenoids
➢ Tonsils