Dendritic cells (CDs) are cells produced in the bone marrow that can be found in the blood, digestive tract and airways, which are part of the immune system and are responsible for identifying infections and developing the immune response.
In this way, when the immune system feels threatened, these cells are activated to identify the infectious agent and promote its elimination, so if the dendritic cells do not function properly, the immune system has more difficulty defending the body, more likely. developing a disease and even having cancer.
- Dendritic cells are responsible for capturing the invading microorganism and presenting the surface antigens available for T cells.
- Initiating the immune response to the infectious agent and fighting the disease.
Due to the need to capture and present antigens on their surface, which are part of the infectious agent, dendritic cells receive the number of antigen presenting cells or PCA.
In addition to promoting the first immune response to a particular invasive agent and ensuring innate immunity, dendritic cells are critical to the development of adaptive immunity, i. e. memory cells are generated, preventing this from happening again in any way. Microorganism.
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Dendritic cells can be categorized according to their migration characteristics, the expression of markers on their surface, the location and function they play, in this way, dendritic cells can be categorized mainly into types:
Plasmocytoid dendritic cells are mainly located in the blood and lymphoid organs, such as the spleen, thymus, bone marrow, and lymph nodes; these cells act in particular against viruses and because of their ability to produce alpha and beta interferons, proteins responsible for regulating immunity. system, also have anti-tumor properties in some cases, in addition to their antiviral capacity.
Myeloid dendritic cells are found in the skin, blood and mucous membranes; blood cells are called inflammatory CDs, which produce TNF-alpha, which is a type of cytokine responsible for tumor cell growth and the inflammatory process. These cells can receive the number of interstitial DDs from the mucous membrane and when they are present in the skin they are called Langerhan or migratory cells, which, after activation, migrate through the cells of the lymph nodes, where T-cell antigens are present.
The origin of dendritic cells is still under study, but can be considered to come from both lymphoid and myeloid lines, and there are theories that attempt to explain the origin of these cells:
Functional plasticity model, which considers that different types of dendritic cells represent different stages of maturation of a single cell line, although the different functions result from the location where it is present;
Specialized training model, which considers different types of dendritic cells to be derived from different cell lines, being the reason for the different functions.
Both theories are thought to be fundamental and in the body theories are likely to occur simultaneously.
Due to its fundamental role in the immune system and its ability to regulate all immunity-related processes, studies have been conducted to verify its effectiveness in the treatment of cancer, mainly in the form of a vaccine.
In the lab, dendritic cells come into contact with tumor cell samples and their ability to remove cancer cells is verified. If test results are verified in experimental and animal models, dendritic cell cancer tests may be available to the public. Studies are needed for the development of the vaccine, as well as for the type of cancer this vaccine could fight.
In addition to being able to be used against cancer, the application of dendritic cells in the treatment of AIDS and systemic sporotricosis, which are serious diseases and leading to immune system degradation, has also been studied. Discover ways to improve and strengthen your immune system.