Tasks of the spleen
Various important tasks can be assigned to the individual parts of the spleen. The red pulp of the spleen consists of a network of connective tissue (technical term: Reticulum splenicum) that is well supplied with blood and serves to sort red blood cells (erythrocytes). Old red blood cells cannot pass through this elastic structure and get stuck.
Afterwards the sorted out old erythrocytes can be broken down by the body’s own macrophages. Another important task of the spleen is the recycling of certain components of the red blood cells. In particular, the iron contained in the red blood pigment (haemoglobin) can be retained by the spleen and then recycled.
In addition, one of the tasks of the spleen is to remove small blood clots and spent blood platelets (thrombocytes) from the bloodstream and break them down.Another anatomical structure of the spleen, the white pulp, in turn has other tasks. As part of the immune system, its main tasks are the defense against viral and bacterial pathogens. In the course of this, the spleen serves as a storage organ for a certain class of white blood cells, the lymphocytes.
On average, about 30 percent of lymphocytes are stored in the spleen. The “formation” of this group of white blood cells is also one of the spleen’s most important tasks. If infectious agents reach the spleen via the bloodstream, an infection can be fended off immediately on the spot.
In addition, it is one of the tasks of the spleen to feed lymphocytes into the bloodstream when necessary. Furthermore, the formation of antibodies (immunoglobulins) in the white pulp is one of the most important tasks of the spleen. In addition, the spleen stores certain amounts of blood as a kind of blood sponge.
In the event of a rupture of the organ, enormous amounts of blood are released within a very short time. The regular release of the stored blood volume is mainly induced during physical exertion. This is generally perceived as a so-called “lateral stabbing”. During the growth of a child in the womb, one of the tasks of the spleen is also to produce blood.
