What is the difference between spleen and lymph node

It is made up of a network of lymphatic vessels that carry lymph — a clear, watery fluid that contains proteins, salts, and other substances — throughout the body. The spleen acts as a filter. It weeds out old and damaged cells and helps control the amount of blood and blood cells that circulate in the body.

The spleen also helps get rid of germs. It contains white blood cells called lymphocytes and macrophages. These cells work to attack and destroy germs and remove them from the blood that passes through the spleen.

One of the lymphatic system's major jobs is to collect extra lymph fluid from body tissues and return it to the blood. This is important because water, proteins, and other substances are always leaking out of tiny blood capillaries into the surrounding body tissues.

If the lymphatic system didn't drain the excess fluid, the lymph fluid would build up in the body's tissues, making them swell. The lymphatic system is a network of very small tubes or vessels that drain lymph fluid from all over the body. The major parts of the lymph tissue are located in the:. A marginal sinus separates the red pulp from the white pulp. Here, the red pulp is composed of sinuses filled with blood.

It also contains reticular fibers. In general, the red pulp stores over half of the total monocytes of the body. These monocytes are responsible for moving into the injured tissues to promote tissue healing by becoming macrophages and dendritic cells. However, the main function of red pulp is the mechanical filtration of red blood cells. In contrast, the nodules in the white pulp are Malpighian corpuscles, which are composed of lymphoid follicles with B lymphocytes and periarteriolar lymphoid sheaths rich in t lymphocytes.

Therefore, the main function of the white pulp is to be in contact with pathogenic antigens, promoting the maturation of lymphocytes. A lymph node refers to each of a number of small swellings in the lymphatic system where lymph is filtered and lymphocytes are formed while spleen refers to an abdominal organ involved in the production and removal of blood cells in most vertebrates and forming part of the immune system.

Thus, this is the fundamental difference between lymph node and spleen. A lymph node is a small mass of tissues located along the lymphatic system while spleen is an organ found in vertebrates. Hence, this is the main difference between lymph node and spleen. Also, the size of a lymph node can range from a few millimeters to cm while spleen is the largest organ found in the lymphatic system.

Moreover, their structure is another important difference between lymph node and spleen. A lymph node is composed of an outer cortex and inner medulla while the spleen is composed of red pulp and white pulp. Furthermore, the functional difference between lymph node and spleen is that the lymph nodes filter lymph to capture pathogens while spleen filters blood to capture pathogens. The lymph node is a small mass of tissues found along the lymphatic vessels in vertebrates.

The main function of lymph nodes is to filter lymph to capture pathogens. In comparison, the spleen is an organ responsible for filtering pathogens in the blood. Both lymph nodes and the spleen host B- and T-lymphocytes, allowing them to make contact with pathogenic antigens.

Therefore, both lymph node and spleen are two types of secondary lymphoid organs. Apart from that, lymph transports fat from the intestines to the blood. After having been collected by the lymph capillaries, lymph is transported through larger lymphatic vessels to the lymph nodes, where lymphocytes purge it before it is emptied into the large subclavian veins close to the heart, where it blends again with the blood. The network of lymphatic vessels includes multiple interposed lymph nodes, small lentil- or bean-sized organs.

They serve as filter stations for the lymph of a certain body region and contain specials cells of the immune system, the lymphocytes, which fight infections attacking the body. Hence, the lymph nodes clean the lymph and free it from pathogens and infectious bodies.

The spleen is an organ in the left upper abdomen. Its job is to process old and damaged blood cells and microorganisms. Before birth, the spleen also helps producing blood cells.

In early childhood, it plays a major role in building and maintaining the immune system. The thymus is a gland located behind the breastbone sternum. At birth, the thymus is the largest organ of the lymphatic system. It plays a vital role in building the immune system.