Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Macrophages (/ ˈ m æ k r oʊ f eɪ dʒ /; abbreviated Mφ, MΦ or MP) are a type of white blood cell of the innate immune system that engulf and digest pathogens, such as cancer cells, microbes, cellular debris, and foreign substances, which do not have proteins that are specific to healthy body cells on their surface.
Macrophages are diffusely scattered in the connective tissue and in liver (Kupffer cells), spleen and lymph nodes (sinus histiocytes), lungs (alveolar macrophages), and central nervous system (microglia). The half-life of blood monocytes is about 1 day, whereas the life span of tissue macrophages is several months or years.
However, the term histiocyte has been used for multiple purposes in the past, and some cells called "histocytes" do not appear to derive from monocytic-macrophage lines. [3] The term Histiocyte can also simply refer to a cell from monocyte origin outside the blood system, such as in a tissue (as in rheumatoid arthritis as palisading histiocytes ...
A macrophage's location can determine its size and appearance. Macrophages cause inflammation through the production of interleukin-1, interleukin-6, and TNF-alpha. [75] Macrophages are usually only found in tissue and are rarely seen in blood circulation. The life-span of tissue macrophages has been estimated to range from four to fifteen days ...
Monocytes are a type of leukocyte or white blood cell. They are the largest type of leukocyte in blood and can differentiate into macrophages and monocyte-derived dendritic cells. As a part of the vertebrate innate immune system monocytes also influence adaptive immune responses and exert tissue repair functions.
Monoblasts are normally found in bone marrow and do not appear in the normal peripheral blood. [3] They mature into monocytes which, in turn, develop into macrophages. [4] They then are seen as macrophages in the normal peripheral blood and many different tissues of the body.
Macrophage polarization is a process by which macrophages adopt different functional programs in response to the signals from their microenvironment. This ability is connected to their multiple roles in the organism: they are powerful effector cells of the innate immune system, but also important in removal of cellular debris, embryonic development and tissue repair.
• macrophages myeloid descendants (some may be lymphoid) with 'eating' abilities, also cooperate with lymphocytes • myeloid ancestors of WBCs with granules and also of macrophages • T Cells "management" lymphocytes for immunity • (WBC) White Blood Cell in contrast to the much more common Red Blood Cell; responsible for defense edit