Metabolic and Immune Systems Are the Primary Tenets of Biological Life

Abstract

A theory is much broader than a hypothesis or a conjecture if it can provide explanations for a wide range of observations while remaining robust to challenges through experimentation. There is a paucity of such theories in biology. The main motivation behind this research was to propose a broad theory of biological life and to explore whether it can be used as a framework for understanding health and disease conditions. A conceptual and theoretical approach was followed for this purpose. Extensive exploration and analysis of the biomedical literature in a non-systematic but purposeful manner were undertaken. They were then extrapolated using a top-down approach to identify the fundamental systems mediating life processes. Two attributes must exist for the survival of any biological life form, including the ability to grow and the ability to self-protect. These two functions are performed by the metabolic system and immune system, respectively. It is proposed that all other processes and every entity in a life form are involved in conducting these two fundamental functions. It is inferred that both of these functions exhibit the universal characteristics of duality and complementarity, features that cut across disciplines. A given life form may thus be biased toward one of the two processes mediated by the immune system and metabolic system at different stages in its life history. Identifying factors that confer bias might provide a better understanding of biology with direct implications for medicine. It is proposed that life and disease could be the result of the interplay of immune and metabolic systems acting complementarily. Other physiological systems lend support to the balancing act between the immune and metabolic systems in a biological life form.

Keywords

• biological life
• process of life
• immunology
• metabolism
• theory in biology