Phagocytes

A phagocyte is a white blood cell involved in the immune response. It removes harmful pathogens from the blood by the process of phagocytosis (whereby pathogens are engulfed into a phagosome, then lysosomes bind to form a phagolysosome).

There are several types of phagocytes, including:

• granulocytes
• macrophages

Granulocytes are white blood cells containing digestive enzymes, which are stored in granules. They form part of the innate immune response.

There are three types of granulocyte:

• Neutrophils
• Eosinophils
• Basophils