RBCs in Lymph

[justadream]

Why don't RBCs go into lymph (at least I think they don't)? I think WBCs do.

If RBCs dont, what is preventing them? It can't be size since WBCs can go in (and RBCs are smaller)?

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[Cawolf]

Leukocytes posses the ability to auto-extravasate out of the circulatory system as part of the immune response.

So it is not so much that the erythrocytes are special to not exit the vessel, but that the leukocytes are special in that they can.

 

[justadream]

@Cawolf

What does "auto-extravasate" mean?

 

[Cawolf]

The leukocytes have a mechanism to induce their own transport across the vessel wall into the interstitium.

 

[justadream]

@Cawolf

So are both RBCs and WBCs too large to go into the lymph? WBCs are only able to get in because of a special mechanism.

 

[Cawolf]

Yes exactly. The physiology of the mechanism being outside the scope of this exam.

As part of the immune response, the leukocytes can be signaled to squeeze through vessel walls to the site of infection.

 

[Hadi7183]

The leukocytes have a mechanism to induce their own transport across the vessel wall into the interstitium.

To make it more clear, the main reason is the fact that macrophages and neutrophils can move within tissues by ameboid motion. RBCs are suspended cells and require a fluidic media to move.