MICROANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -Macrophages have an appetite for destruction. (Their name means “big eater” in Greek.) As the immune system’s primary phagocyte-or cell that has the astounding ability to engulf and digest another particle-macrophages are, among other things, the human body’s primary cleanup system.

Detailed explanation-2: -Macrophages are large, specialized cells that recognize, engulf and destroy target cells. The term macrophage is formed by the combination of the Greek terms “makro” meaning big and “phagein” meaning eat.

Detailed explanation-3: -Macrophages are central to how our body responds to harmful stimuli and tissue injury, including a major role in removing dead cells and foreign material (a literal translation of their name is “big eaters").

Detailed explanation-4: -Macrophages are present in almost all tissues. They are contributing to various processes in the healthy organism, such as development, wound healing, infection and tissue homeostasis. They can rapidly change their phenotype in response to variations in their environment.