Anatomy-Lexicon

What are the functions and tasks of the spleen?

introduction

The spleen is an organ that is part of the bloodstream and is counted among the lymphatic organs. It fulfills important tasks in the area of blood purification and immune defense. During the embryonic period, in unborn children, the spleen participates in blood formation. If the spleen has to be removed, for example due to a serious accident, other lymphatic organs can take over the function and tasks.

Tasks of the spleen

The spleen has important functions. It plays a crucial role in the immune system and blood purification and moulting. It also serves to store blood and, in children, to form blood.
The white pulp of the spleen contains the white blood cells, T and B lymphocytes, dendritic cells and macrophages (scavenger cells). Here the spleen looks for intruders, so to speak, and fights them.
In the red pulp of the spleen there is a special parenchyma (tissue) that is used for purifying blood moulting. Here, dysfunctional red blood cells are removed from the blood and broken down. Another role of the spleen is to store blood. The spleen is responsible for ensuring a permanent supply of important blood cells. These include the red blood cells (Erythrocytes), White blood cells (Lymphocytes) and platelets (Platelets). If necessary, sufficient blood cells should be able to be provided by the spleen.

Furthermore, in the embryonic period, i.e. in unborn children, the spleen is a place of blood formation alongside other organs such as the liver and bone marrow. Until about the age of six, the spleen remains involved in the formation of blood as a place where mainly red blood cells are formed.

Functions of the spleen

The spleen is an organ that is anatomically divided into a red pulp and a white pulp. The special term pulp describes the pulp of the spleen. The red and white pulp have different functions. While the red pulp is responsible for the molting of the blood cells, the white pulp serves as a lymphatic organ for immunological monitoring of the blood, like a kind of filter station. This means that the two main tasks of the spleen take place in two functionally different compartments.

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The red pulp

The red pulp of the spleen makes up about seventy-five percent of the spleen tissue and consists of reticulated pulp cords (medullary cords) and tiny blood vessels, venous sinusoids, that run between the pulp cords. The red pulp of the spleen is thus switched into the bloodstream. The reticulate tissue of the red pulp is used for cell molting. This means that overaged blood cells, especially red blood cells, are filtered out and broken down here.
The red blood cells give the red pulp its color and name. Red blood cells, called erythrocytes, survive in the blood for about one hundred and twenty days. In their life cycle, they flow through the spleen several times and are subjected to molting. Young erythrocytes are malleable and can move easily through the meshes of the red pulp, while old erythrocytes are less malleable and get caught in the meshes of the spleen. The old erythrocytes are then broken down by so-called phagocytes, macrophages. Erythrocytes flow through the red pulp over and over again, until one day they are too old and can no longer move through the tissue well enough and are broken down.

Read more on this topic at: Erythrocytes

The white pulp

The remaining twenty-five percent of the spleen tissue is made up of the white pulp. The white pulp is crucial for the immune system. The white pulp gets its color and its name from the white blood cells, lymphocytes, which are formed here, mature and are finally stored. So-called T lymphocytes and dendritic cells form sheaths around small arterial vessels. These complexes are known as periarterial lymph sheaths (PALS).
B-lymphocytes are arranged follicularly on the PALS and the immune cells together form the white pulp of the spleen. Functionally, the dendritic cells are there to monitor the blood that flows through the spleen. If they find particles of potential pathogens, the so-called antigens, they pick them up and present them on their cell surface. This activates the T lymphocytes and ultimately also the B lymphocytes. The B lymphocytes then multiply and form antibodies that match the antigens. These bind to one another and the complexes are broken down by phagocytes. In this way, pathogens in the blood can be destroyed. The white pulp of the spleen thus fulfills an important function of the immune system.

Read more on this topic at: B lymphocytes

How can you support the function?

If new symptoms such as anemia, a coagulation disorder or a palpably enlarged, tender spleen are noticed, the family doctor should be consulted and a precise diagnosis and, if necessary, therapy of the underlying disease should be carried out. If the spleen is irritated or inflamed, there are a few home remedies that can be tried without hesitation.
Nettle tea can be drunk three times a day, for example before breakfast, lunch and dinner. The tea has anti-inflammatory effects and promotes healing. Apple tea can also be drunk. This should help to cleanse the lymphatic system and reduce inflammation. To counteract the lack of appetite, you can make a mixed drink from apple and oatmeal. This supplies the organism with energy and provides the valuable healing properties of the apple.
Other home remedies are blueberry juice, which is supposed to support the lymphatic system, and rich soups or broths with artichokes or celery. The vegetables can be cooked with onions and a little olive oil and are said to have a beneficial effect on the spleen.

How do you recognize a malfunction?

A diseased spleen can be palpably enlarged under the left costal arch and tender on pressure. Possible symptoms are anemia, tiredness, pain in the left upper abdomen, loss of appetite and an increased tendency to bleed from wounds. Because the spleen is responsible for purifying the blood, molting and storing blood cells. If the spleen can no longer fulfill its tasks, i.e. filter and store blood cells, anemia occurs.
Anemia, in turn, often manifests itself in the form of tiredness and weakness. People may be short of breath and quickly feel exhausted. Furthermore, various diseases of the body can lead to an enlargement of the spleen. The consequences are severe pain and occasional loss of appetite. Pain is particularly severe in the case of an inflamed spleen and localized in the left upper abdomen. In addition, however, many diseases that are associated with an enlarged spleen can trigger pressure pain in the spleen under the left costal arch. If the spleen presses on the stomach due to its increase in volume, this can cause a false feeling of fullness with a lack of appetite. As a result, people often lose weight. Another symptom that can occur due to a malfunction of the spleen is an increased tendency to bleed from small wounds. Since not only fewer red blood cells are stored, but also fewer blood platelets, blood clotting can be disturbed. A disturbed blood clotting can manifest itself in the form of longer bleeding injuries.

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