Blood together with blood vessels is the transport system of the body. Every second, it transfers various compounds, some of which are toxic. Where harmful substances are carried away by blood, and what processes occur with them in the body?
Blood protective function
Various compounds and microorganisms entering the internal environment through the respiratory and digestive systems, as a result, appear in the bloodstream. Many of them can cause serious harm and cause dangerous diseases.
Where are the harmful substances carried by the blood ? They interfere with the action of white blood cells. These protective cells absorb and then digest all foreign proteins, viruses and microorganisms. This process is called phagocytosis, or intracellular digestion. At the same time, white blood cells themselves die, and new ones form in the lymph nodes and thymus gland.
Where are the harmful substances carried by the blood?
Together with food and air, various toxins are found inside the body. Where are the harmful substances carried by the blood? First of all, they pass through the so-called barrier organs. Consider the mechanism of their action on the example of the liver.
This is the largest digestive gland, which receives blood from the veins of the stomach and intestines. Here, useful compounds are filtered out of it, and toxins are neutralized. Together with bile they are displayed outside. Phagocytic destruction of destroyed red blood cells also occurs in the liver. The elimination of harmful and unnecessary substances from the body occurs through the digestive, respiratory, urinary and skin organs. The main metabolic products include carbon dioxide, urea, salts of heavy metals.
The nutritional function of blood
Now let's figure out where the destroyed nutrients are carried away by blood. Proteins, lipids and carbohydrates are biopolymers. This means that they all consist of a certain number of repeating parts. In the digestive tract, proteins break down into amino acids, polysaccharides into simple carbohydrates, and fats into glycerol and higher carboxylic acids.
At the same time, a certain amount of energy is released, which is used by organisms to carry out vital processes. Why is the destruction of biopolymers? The thing is that their molecules are very large. Therefore, they cannot penetrate from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. Monomers do this without difficulty. With blood flow, they enter the cells and organs, where they again “assemble” with the formation of complex organic substances.
Gas exchange
Gas exchange is also a necessary condition for the normal functioning of the body. Oxygen through the respiratory tract enters the lungs, which contain a huge number of small vesicles - the alveoli. The role of these microscopic structures is huge. It is in the alveoli that gas exchange occurs between the respiratory and circulatory systems.
Their activities are always carried out jointly. With the help of oxygen, organic substances are oxidized, resulting in the formation of carbon dioxide. This substance forms an unstable compound with hemoglobin. Where does carbon dioxide and water vapor carry off with blood? Of course, again to the lungs, after which with exhalation they are removed from the body.
So, in the article we examined where harmful substances are carried away by blood. Entering the body, they go through several so-called lines of defense. They are blood and lymph, the gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys, skin, and lungs. Some of the harmful substances are neutralized in them, and the rest come out through the organs of excretion. Thanks to this process, the constancy of the internal environment is maintained and the protective function of the blood is performed.