More and more often you can hear about the connection between the intestines and immunity. Probably most recipients of all media have heard the sentence “70% of immunity comes from the intestines”. This is of course a true statement, and in this entry dietetyk Wrocław will introduce you to this extremely interesting topic.
MALT, the body’s first line of defense
The body is constantly exposed to threats from the outside. The vast majority of pathogens, or disease-causing agents, enter the body through mucous membranes – they are the places where the body comes into contact with the external environment. For this very reason, a unique defense system, MALT (from English mucosal-associated lymphoid tissues, has developed.
The MALT tissue is composed of the following elements:
- single lymph nodes;
- lymphatic nodes organized into aggregates;
- scattered lymphocytes of the lamina propria and basal epithelium.
So where does immunity in the intestines come from?
The answer to this question is as follows: MALT is a larger system that consists of smaller subunits. One of these components is the GALT system (gut-associated lymphoid tissue), or the lymphatic tissue associated with the intestines. Of all the units of the MALT system, it is GALT that is characterized by the greatest immunological, or immune, activity. It is estimated that the intestinal mucosa contains as many as 70-80% of all immunocompetent cells, or those capable of an immune response. What is also interesting 1 m of intestine contains approx. 10^10 lymphocytes (i.e. as many as 10 billion!).
As you can see, intestines are a fascinating organ, about which we hope to provide you with many more interesting facts.
Based on:
Działo J., Niedźwiedzka-Rystwej P., Mękal A. et al.: Characteristics of lymphatic tissue of the digestive and respiratory mucosa. Alerge Astma Immun, 2010, 15, 197-202
ed. Krauss H.: Physiology of nutrition. PZWL, Warsaw, 2019