Cell
macrophage Audio
mac·ro·phage [ mak-ruh-feyj ]
Subclass of:
Reticuloendothelial System; Connective Tissue Cells; Myeloid Cells; Phagocytes
Etymology:
Greek makros = large + phago = I eat
Definitions related to macrophage:
  • A cell that arises from stem cells and/or bone marrow-derived monocytes that function in different aspects of host defense and tissue repair; such as phagocytosis, cytotoxic activity, and regulation of the immune response (antigen presentation and T-cell activation).
    NCI Thesaurus
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • A type of white blood cell that destroys cell debris, bacteria, and foreign agents.
    Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
    Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
  • A type of white blood cell that surrounds and kills microorganisms, removes dead cells, and stimulates the action of other immune system cells.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Mononuclear phagocytes found in tissue.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • The relatively long-lived phagocytic cell of mammalian tissues that are derived from blood MONOCYTES. Main types are PERITONEAL MACROPHAGES; ALVEOLAR MACROPHAGES; HISTIOCYTES; KUPFFER CELLS of the liver; and OSTEOCLASTS. They may further differentiate within chronic inflammatory lesions to EPITHELIOID CELLS or may fuse to form FOREIGN BODY GIANT CELLS or LANGHANS GIANT CELLS. (from The Dictionary of Cell Biology, Lackie and Dow, 3rd ed.)
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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