Phagocytes
What do phagocytes do?
- Phagocytes are white blood cells that are produced continuously in the bone marrow
- They are responsible for removing dead cells and invasive microorganisms; a non-specific immune response
- Phagocytes move in an amoeboid movement to the site of infection and attach to pathogens
- The cell surface membrane of the phagocyte extends out and around the pathogen, engulfing it by endocytosis
- They then digest the pathogen using enzymes which are stored within lysosomes (in their cytoplasm)
Phagocytosis diagram
Phagocytic cells ingest pathogens and digest them using enzymes