PHYL 3520 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Mucociliary Clearance, Mucus, Viscosity
Document Summary
Airways surface liquid and mucociliary clearance: adult mucosal surface of the lung is ~ 500m2 . It is continuously exposed to and challenged by: antigens, bacteria, viruses, spores, fumes, gases, particles: protects against injuries: pathogens, noxious agents, prevents accumulation of secretions, repairs: remodeling of dying cells. The capacity to clear the mucus from the airway is called mucocillary clearance. The mucus that is secreted by the submucosal gland comes out to the epithelium and are moved slowly to capture the bacteria on the epithelium in the air and continuously to clear the bacteria and prevent colonization. Airways surface liquid (asl: airways surface liquid (asl) plays an important role in: airways hydration, innate immunity and antimicrobial defense. These em shows what the cilia looks like on the epithelium. The right picture shows epithelial cells with cilia and asl on top the cell.