Phagocytosis is the main mechanism of the immune system

Most adults raised all kinds of shows, we know that the immune system lives in the gut. It is important to wash, boil, eat right, saturate the body with beneficial bacteria and stuff like that.

But for immunity is important not only that. In 1908, Russian scientist I. I. Mechnikov received the Nobel prize in physiology, describing (and proving) worldwide availability in General and in particular the importance of phagocytosis in the immune system.

Phagocytosis

Protection of the body against harmful viruses and bacteria occur in the blood. The General principle works like this: there are cells-markers, they see the enemy and mark it, and cell rescue by tags find the alien and destroy it.

Phagocytosis is the process of destruction, that is, malicious absorption of living cells and nonliving particles other organisms or specialized cells - phagocytes. There are 5 types of them. And the process runs for approximately 3 hours and includes 8 stages.

Stages of phagocytosis

Let us examine in detail what constitutes phagocytosis. This process is very orderly and systematic:

• first, the phagocyte notices subject to the impact of moving to it - this step is called chemotaxis;

• catching the object, the cell firmly adheres, attaches to it, i.e. adgesiruta;

• then begins to activate his shell - the outer membrane;

• now begins the phagocytosis: this phenomenon involves the formation of pseudopodia around the site;

• gradually, the phagocyte enters into a malicious cell inward under the membrane, so formed phagosome;

• at this stage there is a merging of phagosome and lysosomes;

• now you can all digest it - to destroy;

• the final stage is only  throw away the products of digestion.

Everything! The process of eliminating harmful organism completed, he died under the action of strong digestive enzymes in the phagocyte or as a result of respiratory burst. We won!

Jokes aside, phagocytosis is a very important mechanism of the body's defense system, which is inherent in humans and animals, moreover, vertebral and invertebrate organisms.

Actors

In the phagocytosis involves not only the phagocytes. Despite the fact that these active cells are always ready for battle, they would be absolutely useless without cytokines. Because the phagocyte, so to speak, blind. He does not distinguish between friend and foe, or rather, just not see anything.

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Cytokines is to signal a sort of guide for phagocytes. They have an excellent "vision", they perfectly understand who is who. Spotted virus or bacterium, they glue him to the marker that, like the smell of it, the phagocyte will find it.

The Most important cytokines - so-called molecules transfer factor. With their help phagocytes find out not only where the enemy is, but also communicate among themselves, call for help, awakened the leucocytes.

Getting vaccinated, we train exactly cytokines, teach them to recognize the new enemy.

Types of phagocytes

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

• Monocytes - are white blood cells, have the nickname of "wipers", which was received the unique ability to absorb ( so to speak, they have a very good appetite);

• macrophages - the big eaters that eat the dead and damaged cells and promote production of antibodies;

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

• dendrites - spetsializiruyutsya the pathogens and working in contact with the environment,

• fat cells - progenitors cytokines, and sinks of gram-negative bacteria.