Question

Phagocytic cells that can engulf relatively large cells or bits of debris. They may be fixed in place, or they may travel around in the tissues. Mature cells may become more mobile during times of infection and inflammation. These cells are called:

A) Neutrophils
B) Eosinophils
C) Monocytes
D) Macrophages

Answer 1

Macrophages are versatile phagocytes that play a role in both innate immune responses and the adaptive immune response. They exist in various tissues and act as the first line of defense when pathogens enter the body. Macrophages have different names depending on the tissue they are found in.

Step-by-step explanation:

A macrophage is an irregularly shaped phagocyte that is amoeboid in nature and is the most versatile of the phagocytes in the body. Macrophages move through tissues and squeeze through capillary walls using pseudopodia. They not only participate in innate immune responses but have also evolved to cooperate with lymphocytes as part of the adaptive immune response. Macrophages exist in many tissues of the body, either freely roaming through connective tissues or fixed to reticular fibers within specific tissues such as lymph nodes. When pathogens breach the body's barrier defenses, macrophages are the first line of defense. They are called different names, depending on the tissue: Kupffer cells in the liver, histiocytes in connective tissue, and alveolar macrophages in the lungs.