interstitial fluid
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The fluid that fills the spaces between cells in the tissues of the body: It is a component of extracellular fluid that bathes and surrounds the cells, providing a medium for the exchange of nutrients and waste products between the blood and the cells.
Usage
- General Use: The term is used in biological, medical, and physiological contexts to describe this specific bodily fluid.
- Key Function: It is the immediate environment of cells, facilitating transport. Blood capillaries exchange substances with the interstitial fluid, which then exchanges with the cells.
Examples
- Noun:
- Oxygen and nutrients diffuse from the blood capillaries into the interstitial fluid before reaching the cells.
- Edema, or swelling, can occur when there is an excessive accumulation of interstitial fluid in the tissues.
Advanced Usage
- "Interstitial fluid pressure": The physical pressure exerted by the interstitial fluid within the tissue spaces.
- An increase in interstitial fluid pressure can impede capillary filtration.
- "Interstitial fluid compartment": Refers to the total space and volume within the body that is occupied by interstitial fluid.
- The interstitial fluid compartment is larger than the plasma volume.
Variants and Related Words
- Extracellular fluid (ECF) (n): A broader category of body fluid outside cells, which includes both interstitial fluid and blood plasma.
- Interstitial fluid is the major component of extracellular fluid.
- Lymph (n): Fluid derived from interstitial fluid that is collected by the lymphatic system.
- Lymph is essentially interstitial fluid that has entered lymphatic capillaries.
Synonyms
- Tissue fluid: A common synonym emphasizing its location in bodily tissues.
- Intercellular fluid: A less common synonym highlighting its position between cells.
Related Phrases
- Interstitial space: The microscopic space between cells that is filled with interstitial fluid.
- The exchange occurs across the capillary wall into the interstitial space.
Noun
- liquid found between the cells of the body that provides much of the liquid environment of the body