Macrophage

A phagocytic immune cell that engulfs microbes and cellular debris, coordinates inflammation, and can present antigens to other immune cells.

Phagocytosis: The cellular process of engulfing and digesting particles, microbes, or other cells. Macrophages use this process to remove microbes and cellular debris.
Monocyte: A circulating white blood cell that can enter tissues and differentiate into macrophages or dendritic cells. Many tissue macrophages arise when blood monocytes enter inflamed tissues.
Metchnikoff: A Russian zoologist and immunologist who established phagocytosis as a central immune process. His observations of phagocytic cells helped establish the concept underlying macrophage biology.
Atherosclerosis: A chronic disease in which lipid-rich plaques form within arterial walls. Macrophages ingest modified lipids in plaques and can become foam cells.
M1/M2 macrophage: A simplified scheme that groups macrophages into classically activated M1 and alternatively activated M2 states. The scheme captures contrasting response patterns but oversimplifies macrophage diversity in tissues.
Pattern recognition receptor: A receptor that detects conserved molecular features of microbes or tissue damage. These receptors help macrophages recognize infection and injury.
Tissue-resident macrophage: A macrophage population that resides in a particular tissue and often self-renews locally. These populations differ from recruited monocytes in origin and tissue-specific roles.
Hematopoiesis: The formation of blood cells from hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. It supplies circulating monocytes that can replenish many macrophage populations.
Tuberculosis: An infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, usually affecting the lungs. The bacterium survives within macrophages, making these cells central to disease progression.
Eosinophil: A granulocyte involved in defense against parasites and in allergic inflammation. Eosinophils can also shape tissue inflammation, but differ from macrophages in lineage and core functions.

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