The spleen is an organ found in virtually all vertebrate animals with important roles in regards to red blood cells and the immune systemSpleen, Internet Encyclopedia of Science In humans, it is located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. It removes old red blood cells and holds a reserve in case of hemorrhagic shock, especially in animals like horses (not in humans), while recycling iron.Mebius RE, Kraal G. (2005). Structure and function of the spleen. Nat Rev Immunol. 5(8):606-16. PMID 16056254 It synthesizes antibodies in its white pulp and removes, from blood and lymph node circulation, antibody-coated bacteria along with antibody-coated blood cells. Recently, it has been found to contain, in its reserve, half of the body's monocytes, within the red pulp, that, upon moving to injured tissue (such as the heart), turns into dendritic cells and macrophages while aiding "wound healing", or the healing of lacerations.Swirski FK, Nahrendorf M, Etzrodt M, Wildgruber M, Cortez-Retamozo V, Panizzi P, Figueiredo J-L, Kohler RH, Chudnovskiy A, Waterman P, Aikawa E, Mempel TR, Libby P, Weissleder R, Pittet MJ. (2009). Identification of Splenic Reservoir Monocytes and Their Deployment to Inflammatory Sites. Science, 325: 612-616. DOI: 10.1126/science.1175202Jia T, Pamer EG. (2009). Dispensable But Not Irrelevant. Science, 325:549-550. doi: 10.1126/science.1178329 It is one of the centers of activity of the reticuloendothelial system and can be considered analogous to a large lymph node as its absence leads to a predisposition of certain infections.

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