Asked by: Fanka Maldagora
Asked in category: medical health, skin and dermatology
Last Updated: 30th Jun 2024

What type of cell is a macrophage and what does it look like?

Monocytes are white blood cells that are responsible for the birth of macrophages. These monocytes are stem cells from our bone marrow and are made up of white blood cells. Monocytes are able to move through the bloodstream, and once they have left the blood they become macrophages.



This being said, what types of macrophages are there?

There are two types: tissue macrophages. These macrophages reside in specific organs/tissues (free macrophages or fixed macrophages). And macrophages that are derived from monocytes when they respond to inflammatory stimuli.

The next question is how can you identify a macrophage. You can identify them using flow cytometry and immunohistochemical staining based on their specific expressions of proteins like CD14, CD40 or CD11b (mice)/EMR1(human), lysozyme m, MAC-1/MAC-3, and CD68. Alie Metchnikoff (a Russian zoologist) discovered the macrophages for the first time in 1884.

This is why it's important to know where macrophage cells are located.

The Macrophages are located in many parts of the body like the skin and tissues and organs of immunity like the lymph nodes and the spleen.

What leukocyte is responsible for macrophages?

Macrophages can be found in almost all tissues. They are formed when white cells, also known as monocytes, leave the bloodstream and differentiate in a tissue-specific way.