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A lymph node showing afferent and efferent lymphatic vessels Regional lymph nodes. A lymph node is an organized collection of lymphoid tissue, through which the lymph passes on its way back to the blood. Lymph nodes are located at intervals along the lymphatic system.
Lymph nodes are important for the proper functioning of the immune system, acting as filters for foreign particles including cancer cells, but have no detoxification function. In the lymphatic system, a lymph node is a secondary lymphoid organ. A lymph node is enclosed in a fibrous capsule and is made up of an outer cortex and an inner medulla.
Lymph returns proteins and excess interstitial fluid to the bloodstream. Lymph also transports fats from the digestive system (beginning in the lacteals) to the blood via chylomicrons. Bacteria may enter the lymph channels and be transported to lymph nodes, where the bacteria are destroyed. Metastatic cancer cells can also be transported via lymph.
The lymph percolates through the lymph node tissue and exits via an efferent lymph vessel. An efferent lymph vessel may directly drain into one of the (right or thoracic) lymph ducts, or may empty into another lymph node as its afferent lymph vessel. [6] Both the lymph ducts return the lymph to the blood stream by emptying into the subclavian veins
These are drained by the right lymphatic duct. [1] Diagram showing parts of the body that drain into the right lymphatic duct. The lymph transport, in the thoracic duct, is mainly caused by the action of breathing, aided by the duct's smooth muscle and by internal valves which prevent the lymph from flowing back down again. There are also two ...
A lymph duct is a great lymphatic vessel that empties lymph into one of the subclavian veins. There are two lymph ducts in the human body —the right lymphatic duct and the thoracic duct . The right lymphatic duct drains lymph from the right upper limb, right side of thorax and right halves of head and neck .
Germinal centers are initiated in the B cell follicle of the lymph node. Following activation of naive B cells in the lymph node follicles, the B cells migrate to the interfollicular areas so that they can interact with T cells. When the B and T cells interact, the antigen-specific T cell receptors bind the antigen + MHC presented by the B cells.
Multi-potent lymphoid progenitors (MLP) enter the T cell pathway as they immigrate to the thymus. The most primitive cells in the thymus are the early thymocyte progenitors (ETP), which retain all lymphoid and myeloid potential but exist only transiently, rapidly differentiating into T and NK lineages. (Medical Immunology, p. 118)