The red pulp of the spleen is composed of connective tissue known as the cords of Billroth and many splenic sinuses that are engorged with blood, giving it a red color. Its primary function is to filter the blood of antigens, microorganisms, and defective or worn-out red blood cells.
The spleen is made of red pulp and white pulp, separated by the marginal zone; 76-79% of a normal spleen is red pulp. Unlike white pulp, which mainly contains lymphocytes such as T cells, red pulp is made up of several different types of blood cells, including platelets, granulocytes, red blood cells, and plasma.
Read more about Red Pulp: Sinusoids, Cells Found in Red Pulp, Diseases
Famous quotes containing the words red and/or pulp:
“You can’t be a Red if you’re married to a civil servant.”
—Doris Lessing (b. 1919)
“For men tied fast to the absolute, bled of their differences, drained of their dreams by authoritarian leeches until nothing but pulp is left, become a massive, sick Thing whose sheer weight is used ruthlessly by ambitious men. Here is the real enemy of the people: our own selves dehumanized into “the masses.” And where is the David who can slay this giant?”
—Lillian Smith (1897–1966)