Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
In anatomy, the interstitium is a contiguous fluid-filled space existing between a structural barrier, such as a cell membrane or the skin, and internal structures, such as organs, including muscles and the circulatory system. [1] [2] The fluid in this space is called interstitial fluid, comprises water and solutes, and drains into the lymph ...
The extracellular fluid, in particular the interstitial fluid, constitutes the body's internal environment that bathes all of the cells in the body. The ECF composition is therefore crucial for their normal functions, and is maintained by a number of homeostatic mechanisms involving negative feedback .
It is filled with interstitial fluid, including lymph. [5] Interstitial fluid provides the immediate microenvironment that allows for movement of ions, proteins and nutrients across the cell barrier. This fluid is not static, but is continually being refreshed by the blood capillaries and recollected by lymphatic capillaries. In the average ...
Because it is derived from interstitial fluid, with which blood and surrounding cells continually exchange substances, lymph undergoes continual change in composition. It is generally similar to blood plasma, which is the fluid component of blood. Lymph returns proteins and excess interstitial fluid to the bloodstream.
Studies in 1985 indicated that cerebrospinal fluid and interstitial fluid may flow along specific anatomical pathways within the brain, with CSF moving into the brain along the outside of blood vessels; such 'paravascular channels' were possibly analogous to peripheral lymph vessels, facilitating the clearance of interstitial wastes from the brain.
A valve system in place here prevents the absorbed lymph from leaking back into the interstital fluid. This valve system involves collagen fibers attached to lymphatic endothelial cells that respond to increased interstitial fluid pressure by separating the endothelial cells and allowing the flow of lymph into the capillary for circulation. [5]
The ECF compartment is divided into the interstitial fluid volume – the fluid outside both the cells and the blood vessels – and the intravascular volume (also called the vascular volume and blood plasma volume) – the fluid inside the blood vessels – in a three-to-one ratio: the interstitial fluid volume is about 12 liters; the vascular ...
A major function is to carry the lymph, draining and returning interstitial fluid into the lymphatic ducts back to the heart for return to the circulatory system. Another major function is working together with the immune system to provide defense against pathogens. [13]