phagocyte

(noun)

a cell of the immune system, such as a neutrophil, macrophage or dendritic cell, that engulfs and destroys viruses, bacteria, and waste materials

Related Terms

Examples of phagocyte in the following topics:

  • Cell-Mediated Immunity

    • Cytokines are signaling molecules secreted by a TH cell in response to a pathogen-infected cell; they stimulate natural killer cells and phagocytes such as macrophages.
    • Phagocytes will then engulf infected cells and destroy them.

  • The Complement System

    • They serve as a marker to indicate the presence of a pathogen to phagocytic cells, such as macrophages and B cells, to enhance engulfment.

  • Humoral Immune Response

    • Antibodies in these bodily fluids can bind pathogens and mark them for destruction by phagocytes before they are able to infect cells.
    • Antibodies also opsonize pathogen cells, wherein they mark them for destruction by phagocytic cells, such as macrophages or neutrophils.

  • Antibody Functions

    • Antibodies also mark pathogens for destruction by phagocytic cells, such as macrophages or neutrophils, because they are highly attracted to macromolecules complexed with antibodies.
    • Phagocytic enhancement by antibodies is called opsonization.

  • Immunodeficiency

    • Neutropenia is one form in which the immune system produces a below-average number of neutrophils, the body's most abundant phagocytes.

  • Bone Remodeling and Repair

    • Bone generation: Within days of the fracture, capillaries grow into the hematoma, while phagocytic cells begin to clear away the dead cells.

  • Natural Killer Cells

    • Phagocytic cells then digest the cell debris left behind.

  • Lysosomes

    • A macrophage has engulfed (phagocytized) a potentially pathogenic bacterium and then fuses with a lysosomes within the cell to destroy the pathogen.

  • Pathogen Recognition

    • A macrophage is a large, phagocytic cell that engulfs foreign particles and pathogens.
    • A neutrophil is also a phagocytic leukocyte that engulfs and digests pathogens .

  • Connective Tissues: Bone, Adipose, and Blood

    • Neutrophils are phagocytic cells that participate in one of the early lines of defense against microbial invaders, aiding in the removal of bacteria that has entered the body.
    • Another leukocyte that is found in the peripheral blood is the monocyte, which give rise to phagocytic macrophages that clean up dead and damaged cells in the body, whether they are foreign or from the host animal.