Leukocytes Flashcards
How do monocytes look like?
very big in size, nucleus is big and is u-shaped (kidney shaped)
How do neutrophils look like?
multi-lobed nucleus, funky nucleus, first on sight
How do eosinophils look like?
bi-lobed nucleus, grains always stain red
How do basophils look like?
they vary but they have big blue grains that obscure their nucleus and their nucleus has the shape of mickey mouse’s ears
How do lymphocytes look like?
tiny, nucleus takes up most of cell
What is the function of neutrophils?
phagocytes: destroy invaders by eating or engulfing them
What is the function of eosinophils?
secrete chemicals that destroy parasitic worms, chemical warefare
What is the function of basophils?
secrete chemicals such as histamine, heparin, and kinins for allergic reactions (overly sensitive immune systems)
What is the function of lympocytes?
immunity, tiny but mighty, secrete chemicals (mainly antibodies) to inactivate any pathogens that enter the body
What is the function of t-lymphocytes?
manage immune response
What is the function of b-lymphocytes?
become plasma cells and produce antibodies
What is the function of natural killer (NK) cells?
attack abnormal and infected tissue cells
What is the function of monocytes?
phagocytes, for long-term infections
What does a phagocyte do?
destroy invaders by eating/engulfing them
What are the two categories of leukocytes?
agranulocytes and granulocytes
What are granulocytes?
grains inside cytoplasm that stain blue or purple, grains can be so large that they obscure the nucleus
What are agranulocytes?
not a lot of grains, they have intact nucleus (not bi-lobed or multi-lobed)
How many leukocytes are granulocytes? What are they?
There are three in total: neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils.
How many leukocytes are agranulocytes? What are they?
There are two in total: monocytes and lympocytes
What is the main function of leukocytes?
components of blood that defends body against disease
What is the function of histamine?
causes inflammation (inflammation isn’t bad, you just don’t want too much of it)
What is the function of heparin?
thins blood so it runs faster
What is the function of kinins?
attracts leukocytes to the area
What is the saying to remember leukocytes in order of greatest to least abundance?
Never let monkeys eat bananas (Neutrophils, leukocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, basophils)
What is leukopenia?
too little lymphocytes
What is leukocytosis?
production of leukocytes
What is leukemia?
malignancy in leukocyte forming cells, abnormal, too many, don’t work right, there are many types of leukemia
What is neutrophilia?
increase of neutrophils
What is neutropenia?
decrease of neutrophils
What is lymphocytosis?
increase of lymphocytes
What is lymphocytopenia?
decrease of lymphocytes
Why does the abundance of eosinophils change?
increase because of allergic reactions, parasites, some autoimmune diseases
Why does the abundance of monocytes increase?
increase because of chronic inflammatory disorders or tuberculosis
Why does the abundance of monocytes decrease?
decrease because of prolonged prednisone therapy
Why does the abundance of basophils increase?
increase because of myeloproliferative disorders (overproduction in bone marrow)
Why does the abundance of basophils decrease?
decrease because of acute allergic reactions and stress reactions
What is the abundance percentage of neutrophils?
fifty - seventy percent
What is the abundance percentage of eosinophils?
one - four percent
What is the abundance percentage of basophils?
less than one percent
What is the abundance percentage of lymphocytes?
twenty - forty percent
What is the abundance percentage of monocytes?
two - eight percent
What is the major chemical produced by monocytes?
antibodies
What cells do lymphocytes make?
t-lymphocytes, b-lymphocytes, and natural killer (NK) cells
What is the life span of leukocytes?
the life span of leukocytes in tissues ranges from 4-5 days to years, to decades (depending on if leukocyte is granulocyte or agranulocyte)
What leukocyte lives the longest and why?
lymphocytes live the longest because they’re for immunity
What is the life span of granulocytes?
4-5 days to years
What is the life span of agranulocytes?
4-5 days to decades
What is the percentage of leukocytes in circulating blood?
account for one percent of circulating blood
How are leukocytes categorized into agranulocytes and granulocytes?
depends on the staining grains in their cytoplasm
Why do leukocytes have receptor sites on the outside?
for linking, forming antibody chains, secreting chemicals, and adhering to foreign cells to kill or lyse them
What is hemopoiesis?
the production of formed elements (leukocytes, erythrocytes, and thrombocytes)
How many leukocytes does the average adult produce every day?
5,000 - 10,000
What is DIF and what is it used for?
Differential white blood cell (leukocyte) count, doctors call for this when they want to see what’s going on in a patient
Where can lymphocytes and monocytes be found and what do they do in there?
they can be found in the lymph nodes, they destroy pathogens
Where do lymphocytes circulate?
they circulate in your lymph fluid
What is lymph fluid?
everyday, a liquid portion of your blood is pushed out of your blood vessels into your lymph vessels, then travels through lymph nodes so lymphocytes can kill off/inactivate the pathogen
What is lymphoma?
it’s a type of blood cancer: lymphocytes are immature, not working right which causes them to not replicate right
