How Phagocytosis Works? - Medical students mostly ask this question. Either in their Theory exams or in Vivas. But the majority of students don't know the answer to how phagocytosis works. This article explains what are Phagocytes, the introduction of Phagocytosis, how phagocytosis works, and the steps involved in it.
On daily basis, a lot of infections get succeed to enter the human body but then failed to infect the person. Why? it's just bcoz of our immunity that performs a number of functions to eliminate those particular organisms. It's the beauty of God that protects us from those infections with a process of Phagocytosis, but if immunity fails to protect then we take medicine that then facilitates the phagocytosis.
What is Phagocytosis?
Phagocytosis is an immunological mechanism by which the phagocytes, which are White Blood Cells including Neutrophils, Mast cells, monocytes, or macrophages. These all have different mechanisms to engulf that infectious agent and then digest it with the help of a number of enzymes to eliminate it. This complete process is given the name Phagocytosis.
What are Phagocytes?
Phagocytes are those cells that are capable of engulfing the foreign invaders, or sometimes even they digest those agents. Types of leukocytes (White Blood Cells) that are present in the body as defense agents help in phagocytosis by engulfing that particular agent. These Phagocytes may be macrophages (matured monocytes) or Neutrophils.
How Phagocytosis Works? - Explain Phagocytosis
This paragraph explains phagocytosis completely with different steps. The process of Phagocytosis involves few steps to engulf and digest the invader. Phagocytosis of microorganisms involves three steps. These are explained below:
- First of all, the phagocytes adhere to the microorganism in the affected site. Phagocytes are guided to the inflamed site by the chemicals released in that area.
- Then, Phagocyte starts projecting pseudopodia and encloses the whole cell, and then send protections towards the cell walls and they penetrate them, losing their outer cell membrane and form a vesicle called Phagosome.
- The lysosomes of phagocytes then fuse with the phagosome and dump all of their digesting materials, that vesicle is then called Digesting Vesicle.
- After all these steps digestion starts and so on the infection is eliminated.
How Phagocytosis Works through Neutrophils?
First Neutrophil adheres with the agent and then starts projecting pseudopodia around the agent, so in the end, it encloses the whole agent. Then it start penetrating projections inside it, so it leads to the damage of the outer cell membrane, which causes the agent to become a Phagosome (Phagocytic vesicle).
The lysosomes of neutrophil dump all of the chemicals and proteolytic enzymes inside that vesicle and convert it to the digesting vesicle. Then, digestion ultimately starts. The Neutrophils also have a large number of Lipases that help to break the thick membranes of bacteria. Each Neutrophil phagocyte has almost 10 microorganisms.
How Macrophage Phagocytosis Occurs?
Macrophage Phagocytosis is the process of phagocyting the microorganisms with the help of Macrophages, which are the matured monocytes. When the immune system is activated, macrophages start phagocyting the microorganism. Generally, macrophage phagocytosis occurs to phagocytize organisms of sizes larger than bacteria. Macrophages phagocytize more than 100 microorganisms, and still, they are able to phagocytize.
If Lysosomes fail what happens?
If lysosomes fail to eliminate the pathogens. But, still, there are the chances of their killing. Both (Macrophages and Neutrophils) have bactericidal agents that kill the pathogens. Oxidizing agents kill many of these pathogens. Enzymes of phagosomes form these oxidizing agents. These oxidizing agents are lethal to bacterias or pathogens even in a minute amount.
Causes of Chronic Diseases
There are a lot of causes of chronic diseases. Some of those causes will be due to immune problems. And A few of those causes are explained here. There are some pathogens or foreign invaders that secrete some chemicals or agents. Those agents make them resistant to the macrophages or neutrophils so that phagocytosis can not occur. Those foreign invaders or pathogens then ultimately leads to Chronic diseases. It means that these pathogens have acted as the causes of chronic diseases.
Conclusion of how Phagocytosis Works
After all discussion, we reached a point that It doesn't matter what type of pathogens enters the body or what type of invaders invade the body. But the thing that matters is the Immune system, it has to work more efficiently to protect the body from pathogens through Phagocytosis. So that individuals can live a healthy life in this mortal world.
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