Protecting the Breathing System
- The passages down to the lungs are lined with ciliated epithelial cells
- Cilia comes from the Latin for eyelash, so unsurprisingly these cells have tiny hairs on the end of them that beat and push mucus up the passages towards the nose and throat where it can be removed
- The mucus is made by special mucus-producing cells called goblet cells because they are shaped like a goblet or cup
- The mucus traps particles, pathogens like bacteria or viruses, and dust and prevents them from getting into the lungs and damaging the cells there
The Action of Cilia Diagram
Mucus traps particles, dust and pathogens and cilia beat and push it up and away from the lungs
Exam Tip
The function of cilia and mucus could easily be a 3-mark question in an exam. The examiners are looking for you to state the following:
- The mucus is produced by goblet cells and traps bacteria, dust, particles
- The cilia beat
- And push the mucus away from the lungs towards the throat
This is quite simple, but often marks are lost as students haven’t been precise enough with their explanations!
