Neutrophil granulocyte: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:44, 30 December 2009

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-The '''neutrophil granulocyte''' (often referred to as just a '''neutrophil''') is the most abundant type of [[leukocyte]] in mammalian blood, and are an essential part of normal immune functioning. The term ''neutrophil granulocyte'' refers to the fact that the cytoplasm of neutrophils contains granulae, which are not strongly eosinophilic or basophilic when H&E stained; thus, the cytoplasm of a neutrophil stains a neutral pink rather than a strong blue (basophile) or red (eosinophile) when using the standard H&E stain.
+See [[neutrophil]]
-== Anatomy and occurence ==
-The average neutrophil granulocyte is rougly spherical, has a diameter of 12-15µm, a lobular nucleus (typically 3 lobes) often without a discernible nucleolus.
-The neutrophil granulocyte is the most abundant leukocyte in human blood, accounting for about 70% of the [[total leukocyte count]] in a normal human being. What is considered a normal neutrophil count varies between laboratories, but is usually from 2.5 - 7.5 x 10<sup>9</sup>/L. A count lower than that is termed [[neutropenia]] and is a serious immunocompromising condition.
-== Activation ==
-The neutrophil granulocyte is generally activated either through direct, innate recognition of potentially pathogen moieties (for instance [[peptidoglycan]]) or viz. bound opsonins