Work of thymus gland in our body
Answers
Answer:
The thymus gland is a secretory gland that has an important role in immune function. One of its main secretions is the hormone thymosin. Thymosin stimulates the maturation of T cells, which are derivatives of white blood cells that circulate our system.
Thymus Gland Overview
T cells help clear the body of damaged cells and pathogens. The damaged cells may be cancerous cells that have lost the ability to stop proliferating or even cells infected with viruses. T cells will be able to bind the T receptor on the target cell’s surface that will initiate its eventual death. The T cell’s cytotoxicity comes from the cytokines it produces.
Despite the thymus’ essential role in immune health, the thymus gland is not active during our entire lifetime. In fact, it is only active until puberty and becomes non-functional in adulthood. But its actions are instrumental in preventing the body from having an autoimmune response, which is when the immune system cannot distinguish between itself and foreign agents.
Chronic periods of fever, fatigue, and malaise mark the lives of patients with autoimmune diseases. Therefore, the thymus gland is closely tied to the lymphatic system as it is the body’s natural defense network. The network of vessels and tissues that make up the lymphatic system make it possible for the body to expel or “drain” toxins and waste from the body.
Thymus Gland Function
The main function of the thymus gland is to release thymosin hormone that will stimulate the maturation of T cells. All of our childhood, white blood cells or lymphocytes will come in contact with the thymus gland. This contact will transform them into T cells. Once the T cells have matured, they will migrate to the lymph nodes which are the stores of immune cells in the body.
So, the thymus gland can be understood to be a recipient of immature T cells that were created in the bone marrow but have yet to reach full maturation. Once the thymus receives the cells, they will be trained to only attack foreign agents. The way this happens is through positive selection. Only the T cells that have properly responded to foreign antigens will be selected to survive and eventually migrate to the medulla. The T cells that do not make the cut will die by apoptosis in a healthy patient.
Once the surviving T cells have reached the medulla, the T cells will proceed to mature. The remaining T cells will go on to kill pathogens, will activate helper B cells that make antibodies against specific antigens, and will store the memories of previous infections and viruses so that the body can be better prepared to fight them off if they ever return.
Explanation:
ANSWER
The thymus produces progenitor cells, which mature into T-cells (thymus-derived cells). The body uses T-cells help destroy infected or cancerous cells. T-cells created by the thymus also help other organs in the immune system grow properly.
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