Tissue Fluid & Lymph

What is tissue fluid

Fluid that surrounds body cells and acts as the medium for exchange of substances between blood and cells

Where does tissue fluid form

From blood plasma in capillaries

What is the function of tissue fluid

To deliver oxygen and nutrients to cells and remove waste products

How is tissue fluid formed

High hydrostatic pressure at arteriole end forces plasma out of capillaries

What happens at the arteriole end of capillaries

High hydrostatic pressure forces fluid out of capillaries forming tissue fluid

What happens at the venule end of capillaries

Lower hydrostatic pressure allows some fluid to return by osmosis

Why does fluid leave capillaries at the arteriole end

Due to high hydrostatic pressure from heart pumping

What is oncotic pressure

Osmotic pressure caused by plasma proteins drawing water back into capillaries

What is the composition of tissue fluid

Similar to plasma but with no red blood cells fewer proteins and fewer white blood cells

What is lymph

Fluid that forms from excess tissue fluid and is transported in the lymphatic system

How is lymph formed

When tissue fluid does not return to capillaries and enters lymph vessels

What is the function of lymph

To return excess tissue fluid to the blood and transport immune cells

How is lymph transported

By muscle contractions moving it through lymph vessels

What are lymph nodes

Structures that filter lymph and trap pathogens

How does lymph composition differ from tissue fluid

It has less oxygen and nutrients more fatty acids and more lymphocytes

Where does lymph eventually go

Lymph is returned to the bloodstream

What is the role of lymphocytes in lymph

They provide immune defence by detecting and destroying pathogens