Our species is constantly threatened by a lot of pathogens, so, to defend itself, the body provides the immune response that allows the protection of this system, in this way the function of the immune system is to ensure the integrity of the body. In addition, it is also responsible for identifying cell degeneration and preventing the development of cancer.
Although this is not easy to explain, the different components of the immune system are organized to protect us from any type of external attack, the problem is that there are some agents that can compromise or defeat the defenses of this system.
- The structural components of the immune response are divided into two types: primary and secondary; the former produce and differentiate lymphocytes.
- While the latter capture and treat antigens.
Thymus is a primary, specialized glandular lymphoid organ that belongs to the immune system. The thymus gland promotes the maturation of T cells (or lymphocytes). T cells are essential to the adaptive immune system, so the body adapts specifically to external invaders.
The thymus is located in two lobes behind the sternum, so it is an organ sensitive to glucocorticoids and its function is to educate T cells (mature them).
It is a type of tissue found inside the long bones, in the sternum, ribs, vertebrae, skull bones, pelvis and also in the scapular belt, is made up of islets of hematopoietic cells, so this organ is responsible for the differentiation of immune cells, mainly B lymphocytes.
The spleen is an organ that is part of the lymphatic system, is located in the upper left abdomen and is responsible for:
Lymph nodes (or lymph nodes) are organs of the immune system in the form of small circular balls spread throughout the body and connected by lymph vessels that filter out foreign particles, so they are of great importance for the proper functioning of the immune system.
These are two organs that occupy the transition of the nasal and oral cavity, their growth depends on age and is maximum in childhood, decreasing thereafter, when they have an enlarged infection.
They’re located on the intestinal wall. These are groups of lymphatic tissues that line the inner walls of the small intestine, which are sensitized cells specialized in identifying antigens associated with food.
In addition to those already mentioned, other non-lymphatic components (antibodies or immunoglobulins) are also part of the structural components of the immune response, which can be found in:
The cellular components of the immune response are 54% plasma. Plasma is the acellular part of the blood: it is obtained by leaving blood devoid of cells, such as red blood cells and white blood cells. In addition, there are plasma cells that account for 46% of the immune response. These are erythrocytes and leukocytes.
In leukocytes we can find
B and T lymphocytes mediate the specific immune response, while NK (Natural Killer) lymphocytes are activated with a non-specific response. Next, we specify the function of each type:
The precursors of T cells form in the bone marrow, then migrate to the thymus and are “educated”. Therefore, they are divided into several types:
The function of this type of lymphocytes is to produce antibodies (immunoglobulins). Immunoglobulins are glycoproteins whose structure and function differ in IgM, IgD, IgG, IgA, and IgE, so they have the following functions:
The role of immunoglobulins focuses on
With this we can see that the immune response is complex, depending on the identified threat some cells are initiated and parts of the immune system are activated, this is how the immune system protects us from the various antigens that invade us daily.