Dendritic Cells, or DC, are cells produced in the bone marrow that can be found in the blood, skin and digestive and respiratory tracts, for example, and that are part of the immune system, being responsible for identifying the infection and developing the immune response.
Thus, when the immune system feels threatened, these cells are active in order to identify the infectious agent and promote its elimination. Thus, if the dendritic cells do not function properly, the immune system has more difficulty in defending the body, with a greater chance of developing a disease or even cancer.
Function of Dendritic Cells
Dendritic cells are responsible for capturing the invading microorganism and presenting antigens, which are available on its surface, for T lymphocytes, initiating the immune response against the infectious agent, fighting the disease.
Due to the fact that they capture and present the antigens on their surface, which are parts of the infectious agent, dendritic cells are called Antigen-Presenting Cells, or APCs.
In addition to promoting the first immune response against a certain invading agent and guaranteeing innate immunity, dendritic cells are essential for the development of adaptive immunity, which is the one in which memory cells are generated, preventing it from occurring again or more mildly. infection by the same organism.
Understand how the immune system works.
Types of Dendritic Cells
Dendritic cells can be classified according to their migration characteristics, expression of the markers on their surface, location and function. Thus, dendritic cells can be classified mainly into two types:
- Plasmocytoid dendritic cells, which are located mainly in the blood and lymphoid organs, such as spleen, thymus, bone marrow and lymph nodes, for example. These cells act especially against viruses and, due to their ability to produce Interferon alpha and beta, which are proteins responsible for the regulation of the immune system, also have anti-tumor properties in some cases, in addition to the antiviral capacity. Myeloid dendritic cells, which are located in the skin, blood and mucosa. The cells located in the blood are called inflammatory DC, which produce TNF-alpha, which is a type of cytokine responsible for the death of tumor cells and the inflammatory process. In the tissue, these cells may be called interstitial or mucosal DC and, when present in the skin, are called Langerhans or migratory cells, since after their activation, they migrate through the skin to the lymph nodes, where they present the antigens to T lymphocytes.
The origin of dendritic cells is still widely studied, but it is considered that it may have originated from both a lymphoid and myeloid lineage. In addition, there are two theories that try to explain the origin of these cells:
- Functional Plasticity Model, which considers that the various types of dendritic cells represent the various stages of maturation of a single cell line, the different functions being a consequence of the location in which they are present; Specialized Lineage Model, which considers that the various types of dendritic cells are derived from different cell lines, which is the reason for the different functions.
It is believed that both theories have a basis and that in the body it is likely that the two theories will happen simultaneously.
How they can help treat cancer
Due to its fundamental role in the immune system and the ability to regulate all processes related to immunity, studies have been carried out with the objective of verifying its effectiveness in the treatment against cancer, mainly in the form of a vaccine.
In the laboratory, dendritic cells are placed in contact with the tumor cell samples and their ability to eliminate cancer cells is verified. If it is found that the results of tests on experimental models and animals are effective, it is possible that tests for the cancer vaccine with dendritic cells may be made available to the population. Despite being promising, more studies are needed for the development of this vaccine, as well as for the type of cancer that this vaccine would be able to fight.
In addition to being able to be used against cancer, the application of dendritic cells has also been studied in the treatment against AIDS and systemic sporotrichosis, which are serious diseases and lead to a decrease in the immune system. Here are some ways to improve and strengthen your immune system.
