First Line of Defence
Tissue Macrophages
I am learning more about the immune system, by reading through a book called The Physiology Colouring Book.
In this post I am going to try to explain Tissue Macrophages and my thoughts on them.
Tissue Macrophages are called the first line of defence.
According to my colouring book, you have tissue macrophages in the tissues throughout your body, and their purpose is attack “microbes” and destroy them by phagocytosis.
Phagocytosis is when the macrophage engulfs the “invader” and then forms a pseudopod, next there is the endocytosis of the phagocytic vesicle. The endocytic vesicle is then incorporated into the lysosomes of the phagocytes, and then the microbe is digested by lysosomal enzymes.
So we really want this to happen because it will prevent the “microbe” from moving on to further areas in the body.
Tissue Macrophages exist in the skin and the lungs. Where else do we find the tissue macrophages? According to my google search they are also found in the liver and the brain.
Anywhere else?
According to my google search they are also found in connective tissues, the intestines, lymph nodes, and the sinuses.
Ok enough, I think you will find that they are also in other tissues.
What is a pseudopod?
A pseudopod is a cell that has a temporary growth that allows it to be mobile, it is like the cell has grown a foot.
So in my imagination I can see that this allows the cell to hop off to it’s next destination. I am guessing that it is going to go somewhere outside the body next, because we wouldn’t want to keep this digested invader around, but I dunno.
I will probably have to investigate this further.
What is endocytosis?
Endocytosis is the process of a cell engulfing external material.
What is a phagocytic vesicle?
A phagocytic vesicle is a sac like container, containing the object that has engulfed by the phagocyte.
What is a lysosome?
Lysosomes are enzymes which are used to digest and break down the “invader.”
Thanks for reading!
I hope you enjoyed learning about the first line of defence.
I never know what I will write about next.
I find this subject pretty interesting. So I will probably be writing about it more in the future.
Interesting!
Thank you, Renee, for inspiring me to check a bit more! I did not understand why you called the pseudopod an "invader"...in my very cursory search I did not find anything to indicate its "foreign" nature and that it is "sometimes used for feeding"...hmmm, feeding what? Helping US to eat or feeding other cells with their foot/arm...🤷♀️ sounds positive, though.
Almost looks like the Creator knew how to put us together! With the understanding that our whole biological system must be housed in a body of clean habits, stabilized neural energies and balanced chemical function- we really DO need to be responsible for what goes into our bodies! 😊