肝脏——一个新的免疫器官

Liver——A new immune organ

肝脏作为一个消化器官及其具有的代谢、解毒和内分泌功能已众所周知。近年来,越来越多的研究证实了肝脏还是一个免疫器官。肝脏的解剖结构比较特殊,拥有双重血液供应。它含有丰富的细胞成分,如窦内皮细胞、星状细胞、树突状细胞、Kupffer细胞以及淋巴细胞,这些细胞分泌一系列的细胞因子,对机体的免疫调节起重要作用。

It has been well-known that liver is a digestive organ with the metabolism, detoxification and endocrine function. In recent years, more and more researches confirmed that liver was also an immune organ. The anatomy of liver is rather special, with dual blood supply. It is rich in cell components, such as sinusoidal endothelial cells, stellate cells, dendritic cells, Kupffer cells and lymphocytes. These cells secrete a series of cytokines, which play an important role in the immunoloregulation of body.