Phagocytosis is the main mechanism of the immune system

Most often from adults, brought up by a dishwriting TV show, we learn that immunity lives in the intestine. It is important to wash everything, to boil, to eat right, to saturate the body with useful bacteria and everything in that spirit.

But for immunity matters not only this. In 1908 the Russian scientist I.I. Mechnikov received the Nobel Prize in physiology, having told (and proved) to the whole world about the existence in general and the importance in particular of phagocytosis in the work of the immune system.

Phagocytosis

Protection of our body from harmful viruses and bacteria occurs in the blood. The general principle of work is this: there are marker cages, they see the enemy and mark it, and the rescuers on the marks find an outsider and destroy them.

Phagocytosis is the process of destruction, that is, the absorption of harmful living cells and inanimate particles by other organisms or special cells - phagocytes. There are 5 kinds of them. And the process itself lasts for about 3 hours and includes 8 stages.

Stages of phagocytosis

Let's take a closer look at what phagocytosis is. This process is very orderly and systemic:

• First the phagocyte notices the object of the action and moves towards it - this stage is called chemotaxis;

• after catching up the object, the cell is firmly adhered, attached to it, i.e., adheres;

• then begins to activate its membrane - the outer membrane;

• now the actual phagocytosis itself begins: this phenomenon is marked by the formation of pseudopodia around the object;

• gradually the phagocyte encloses the harmful cell inside of itself, under its membrane, thus forming a phagosome;

• At this stage, phagosomes and lysosomes merge;

• Now you can digest everything - destroy it;

• At the final stage, it remains only to throw away the digestion products.

All! The process of destroying the harmful organism is completed, it died under the influence of strong digestive enzymes of the phagocyte or as a result of a respiratory explosion. Our won!

Jokes are jokes, but phagocytosis is a very important mechanism of the body's defense system, which is inherent in humans and animals, moreover, vertebrates and invertebrates.

Characters

In phagocytosis, not only the phagocytes themselves participate. Despite the fact that these active cells are always ready for battle, they would be absolutely useless without cytokines. After all, the phagocyte, if I may say so, is blind. He himself does not distinguish between his and others, more precisely, he simply does not see anything.

Cytokines are an alarm system, a kind of guide for phagocytes. They have something very different "vision", they are well versed in who is who. Having noticed a virus or a bacterium, they glue a marker on it, according to which, as if by smell, the phagocyte finds it.

The most important cytokines are the so-called transfer-factor molecules. With their help, phagocytes not only find out where the enemy is, but also communicate with each other, call for help, wake up leukocytes.

When vaccinated, we train precisely the cytokines, we teach them to recognize a new enemy.

Types of phagocytes

Cells that are capable of phagocytosis are divided into professional and non-professional phagocytes. Professionals are:

• Monocytes - refer to leukocytes, have the nickname "janitors", which they received for their unique ability to absorb (if they can say so, they have a very good appetite);

• macrophages are big eaters who use dead and damaged cells and promote the formation of antibodies;

• neutrophils - always the first to arrive at the foci of infection. They are the most numerous, well neutralize enemies, but they also die at the same time (a kind of kamikaze). By the way, pus is dead neutrophils;

• dendrites - specialize in pathogens and work in contact with the environment,

• mast cells - the progenitors of cytokines, and also absorbers of gram-negative bacteria.