File:Spleen structure cartoon 02.jpg

Spleen Structure - Red Pulp

Venous sinuses in the located in the cords of the red pulp. Blood from the cords collects in the sinuses (shown by arrows). The venous sinuses consist of a lining of endothelial cells that are positioned in parallel and connected by stress fibres to annular fibres, which are composed of extracellular-matrix components. The stress fibres run along the long axis of the endothelial cells and are most prominent where the endothelial cells are in contact.

Contractility of the stress fibres allows the formation of slits between the endothelial cells, thereby regulating the passage of blood and blood cells from the red-pulp cords into the sinuses and back into the venous system. Because the red-pulp cords contain a large number of macrophages, ageing erythrocytes that are no longer able to pass through the slits are phagocytosed.

Links: Spleen Development

Reference

<pubmed>16056254</pubmed>| Nat Rev Immunol.

Copyright

Reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: [Nat Rev Immunol.] (Nature Reviews Immunology 5, 606-616 (August 2005)) | doi:10.1038/nri1669), copyright (2005)

Fig. 2. cartoon relabelled with colour coded babes and reference.

Cite this page: Hill, M.A. (2024, April 27) Embryology Spleen structure cartoon 02.jpg. Retrieved from https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/File:Spleen_structure_cartoon_02.jpg

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© Dr Mark Hill 2024, UNSW Embryology ISBN: 978 0 7334 2609 4 - UNSW CRICOS Provider Code No. 00098G