reticuloendothelial system
The doctor explained the function of the reticuloendothelial system to the students.
Noun A widely distributed biological system consisting of all the cells capable of ingesting bacteria, colloidal particles, and other foreign substances, excluding certain specialized white blood cells. It is a network of phagocytic cells involved in immune defense and the clearance of cellular debris.
The term is used in medical, biological, and immunological contexts to describe a specific cellular defense network in the body. * The reticuloendothelial system is crucial for filtering the blood and lymph. * A primary function of the reticuloendothelial system is the removal of old or damaged red blood cells from circulation. * Researchers studied how the drug was absorbed by the reticuloendothelial system.
- Reticuloendothelial System Blockade: A temporary saturation of the system's phagocytic cells, often induced experimentally or as a side effect of certain therapies, which can alter immune responses.
- The concept of the reticuloendothelial system is historically important, though in modern immunology its functions are often described within the broader framework of the mononuclear phagocyte system and lymphoid tissues.
- Reticuloendothelial (adjective): Pertaining to the reticuloendothelial system.
- Reticuloendothelial cells are found in the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes.
- Mononuclear Phagocyte System (MPS): A more modern term that largely overlaps with and refines the concept of the reticuloendothelial system, focusing on monocytes and macrophages.
- Macrophage System (in a broad, historical context)
- Mononuclear Phagocyte System (MPS) - (closely related modern term)
- Reticuloendothelial cell: An individual phagocytic cell that is part of this system, such as a macrophage or a specialized endothelial cell.
- Reticuloendothelial dysfunction: An impairment in the function of this system.
The doctor explained the function of the reticuloendothelial system to the students.
- a widely distributed system consisting of all the cells able to ingest bacteria or colloidal particles etc, except for certain white blood cells