Determination of the Total Mass, Number, and Distribution of Immune Cells in the Human Body | Amazing Science | Scoop.it
From www.pnas.org - October 26, 2023 4:58 PM
 
A team of scientists characterized the human body’s immune cells distribution and provided its total weight. The findings demonstrate that an average individual’s immune system consists of approximately 1.8 trillion cells and weighing around 1.2 kg. Lymphocytes make up 40% of the total number of immune cells and 15% of their mass. Similarly, neutrophils account for comparable proportions. Notably, macrophages constitute 10% of immune cells but contribute nearly 50% of the total cellular mass due to their larger size. This knowledge gives an integrative quantitative view of the immune system and facilitates the development of models.
 
The immune system is a complex network of cells with critical functions in health and disease. However, a comprehensive census of the cells comprising the immune system is still lacking.
This new work now estimated the abundance of the primary immune cell types throughout all tissues in the human body. The researchers conducted a literature survey and integrated data from multiplexed imaging and methylome-based deconvolution. They also considered cellular mass to determine the distribution of immune cells in terms of both number and total mass.
 
Published in PNAS (October 23, 2023):

Via Juan Lama