NEUTROPHILS

most common type of WBCs in adults

Nucleus: usually trilobulated
Cytoplasm: Pink to tan with violet or lilac
granules
differentiated, relatively short-lived cells
first phagocytes to reach the infected areas and
are then followed by the monocyte
Show active ameboid locomotion
Lactosylceramide: main glycolipid of
neutrophils
rich in glycogen
Primary granules Tertiary granules
MPO Acetyl transferase
Bactericidal cationic AlkP
CHON Gelatinase
Proteases
Lysozyme(neuramidase)

Secondary granules Secretory granules

Lactoferrin
Specific collagenases
Vit.B12 binding proteins
Lysozyme(neuramidase)
Neutrophil pools in the body:
Bone marrow- where production and maturation occur
1. Mitotic pool- consists of myeloblast, promyelocyte and
myelocyte
2. Maturating pool- consists of metamyelocyte
3. Storage pool- consists of metamyelocyte, bands and
segmented PMNs

Blood
1. Circulating pool- 50% of PMNs circulating freely
2. Marginating pool-50% of PMNs adhere to the vessel
walls or are sequestered in the capillaries
Types:
1.Segmented neutrophils- have a nucleus
divided into multiple distinct lobes. The
cytoplasm has fine granules that stain lightly
with the usual blood stains; comprise ~50 to
70% of total WBCs

2.Band neutrophils- have a horseshoe-shaped

nucleus, without the distinct lobes of polys.
They are an earlier stage than segmented
neutrophils but are fully functional. They are
normally represent ~2 to 6% of all WBCs;
 Glycolytic (Embden-Meyerhof) Pathway

 Hexose Monophosphate Shunt Pathway

principal leukocytes involved in a localized
inflammatory response.

phagocytosis, predominantly of bacteria

 NUCLEUS: Dark purple, usually has 2 lobes
 CYTOPLASM: Filled with large spherical
granules of uniform size that stain bright orange
 Granules
1. Outer- contains peroxidase
2. Inner- contains basic protein( rich in arginine,
lysine, phospholipids and possibly melanin)
 Major Basic Protein
Charcot Leyden Crystals
 hexagonal bipyramidal crystals
 formed from disintegration of eosinophils
 made up of lysophospholipase found in
cytoplasm of eosinophils seen in:
Allergic asthma
Pulmonary eosinophilic infiltrates
Parasitic infections
Major functions:
 Also capable of phagocytosis

 Defense against helminthic parasites

 has a role in allergic reactions by lessening

hypersensitivity reactions through the
release of an amine oxidase which
neutralizes histamine
 NUCLEUS: generally unsegmented or bilobed
 CYTOPLASM: densely stained, dark violet to
purple-black granules
 Least common WBC in normal peripheral blood
 are found in small numbers in blood (0.5% of
total leukocytes)
 They have been shown to be rich sources of IL-4
and IL-13
 can be seen in tissues in which inflammation
resulting from hypersensitivity to proteins,
contact allergy, or skin allograft rejection is
present.
 involved in immediate hypersensitivity
reactions related to immunoglobulin class E
(IgE)

 Involve in the control of helminth infections

 Induce B-cells to synthesize IgE

MAST CELLS
normal residents of connective tissue
throughout the body
 granules contain various substances including:

Histamine

eosinophil chemotactic factor

heparin
 They are derived from progenitors in the marrow.
Mast cells-exit the marrow as immature precursors
and terminally differentiate in tissues
Basophils-mature in the marrow before entering
the circulation
 They share significant phenotypic and functional
properties. Both cell lines possess metachromatic
granules
 They express the Fc Receptor 1. The cells can
phagocytose sensitized red cells but are less
active phagocytes than the other granulocytes.
 STAGE CELL SIZE(um) NUCLEUS CYTOPLASM

Lymphoblast 10-18 • Coarse chromatin • No granules present

• Round or oval • Appears smooth
• With 1 to 2 nucleoli • Moderate to dark
blue
Prolymphocyte May be the same size • More clumped • Usually nongranular
as lymphoblast or chromatin • Moderate to dark
smaller • Round or oval blue
• With 1 to 2 nucleoli
Mature small 8-10(same size as RBC) • Dense chromatin • Usually forms a thin
lymphocyte • Round or oval rim around the
• No nucleoli visible nucleus
• Robin’s egg blue
Medium 10-12 • Chromatin not as • More abundant than
lymphocyte dense as small in small lymphocyte
lymphocyte • Pale to moderate
• Round or oval blue
• No nucleoli visible
Large 12-16 Round or oval • Abundant
lymphocyte No nucleoli visible • Clear, very pale blue
 NUCLEUS: Deep purple, round, oval, or indented; nucleoli may be visible
 CYTOPLASM: Sky-blue or “Robbin egg” blue appearance
Adaptive immunity
 T cells
 B cells
Innate immunity
 NK cells
TYPE 1
 Turk’s Irritation Cell
 Plasmacytoid lymphocyte
TYPE 2
 IM
 Downey cells
TYPE 3
 Finely reticulated nuclear chromatin pattern
B cells
primary effectors of the humoral (antibody-mediated)
immune system
 develop in the bone marrow and are found in lymph
nodes, the spleen and other organs, as well as the blood.
may develop into plasma cells

T cells
main effectors of cell-mediated immunity
command and control cells of the entire immune system
T helper cells
T suppressor/cytotoxic cells
MONOCYTES
 Largest cell in the circulation; with abundant
light gray to light blue finely granular
cytoplasm.
 medium to large motile cell that can marginate
along vessel walls and has a propensity for
adherence to surfaces
 normally comprise ~3 to 8% of leukocytes
 A part of mononuclear phagocyte system
( including the macrophage)
 Stage Cell Nucleus Cytoplasm N/C
size ratio
MONOBLAST 12-20 Round with Basophilic 4:1 to 3:1
folding and Nongranular
clefting 1-2
nucleoli

PROMONOCYTE 14-18 Oval, indented, or Blue-gray 3:1 to 2:1

folded cytoplasm

MONOCYTE 14-20 Round, kidney- Blue-gray 2:1 to 1:1

shaped cytoplasm
May be folded, Many fine
showing brain- azurophilic
like convolutions granules
No nucleoli appearing as
visible “ground glass”
(frosted)
 In the presence of endothelial cells grown on an
extracellular matrix, monocytes differentiate
along two distinct pathways:

1. Dendritic cells-Monocytes that migrate across

endothelium in an abluminal to luminal direction

2. Macrophages-monocytes that remain in the

subendothelial matrix
FUNCTIONS:
 The cell’s phagocytic function is related to its immunologic
activity which consists of 2 phases
1. During the induction of immunity, when antigenic information
is transferred to lymphocytes
2. During expression of cellular immune response and the
development of delayed hypersensitivity
 Contains large amount of lipase
 Defense against microorganisms
 role in the antigen-induced blast transformation of lymphocytes
 Major role in the daily destruction of aged blood cells, denatured
plasma proteins and lipids
 Antigen processing and presentation
 able to synthesize various biologically important
MACROPHAGES
 a variety of names, including:
Histiocytes
Kupffer cells
osteoclasts
microglial cells
Pulmonary alveolar macrophages

 participate in the phagocytic process and are particularly

important in the processing of antigens as part of the
immune response.
 Macrophages exist as either fixed or wandering cells