Blood cells

As blood cells , blood cells , hemocyte , hemocytes or hemocytes are cells called that in the blood or hemolymph find many animal groups.

Blood cells were first recognized in 1658 when Jan Swammerdam used the microscope, which was newly introduced at the time, to examine frog serum.

In vertebrates there are various types of blood cells, all of which are described in separate articles:

the white blood cells or leukocytes . They include all blood cells with a nucleus : lymphocytes , monocytes and granulocytes . These form the cellular immune system to destroy invading pathogens and foreign bodies.
the red blood cells or erythrocytes that carry oxygen.
the platelets or thrombocytes , which help blood clot and close wounds.

All vertebrate blood cells are created from hematopoietic stem cells in a process called hematopoiesis .

Erythrocytes, i.e. cells that contain blood pigments, are found not only in vertebrates but also in horseshoe worms and some representatives of the polychaetes , molluscs and echinoderms . The erythrocytes of horseshoe worms are located in the bloodstream like those of vertebrates , but those of the other invertebrates mentioned are mostly in the tissue fluid .

In insects , hemocytes are divided into three main classes: The small plasmocytes can absorb or destroy invaded pathogens by phagocytosis . Large lamellocytes are formed when infected by parasites . With the help of their enzymes, crystal cells can lyse invading pathogens .

literature

Ludwig Heilmeyer , Herbert Begemann: blood and blood diseases. In: Ludwig Heilmeyer (ed.): Textbook of internal medicine. Springer-Verlag, Berlin / Göttingen / Heidelberg 1955; 2nd edition, ibid. 1961, pp. 376–449, here: pp. 379–388 ( The blood cells ).

Web links

Commons : blood cells - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Wiktionary: blood cells - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

↑ Lexicon of Biology: Hematocytes
↑ Lexicon of Biology: Hemocytes
↑ Irmgard Müller: blood cells. In: Werner E. Gerabek , Bernhard D. Haage, Gundolf Keil , Wolfgang Wegner (eds.): Enzyklopädie Medizingeschichte. De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2005, ISBN 3-11-015714-4 , p. 194.
^ ^A ^b Christopher D. Moyes, Patricia M. Schulte: Tierphysiologie. Translated by Monika Niehaus , Sebastian Vogel. Pearson Studium, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8273-7270-3 , pp. 425–426 ( limited preview in the Google book search).

[1] Lexicon of Biology: Hematocytes

[2] Lexicon of Biology: Hemocytes

[3] Irmgard Müller: blood cells. In: Werner E. Gerabek , Bernhard D. Haage, Gundolf Keil , Wolfgang Wegner (eds.): Enzyklopädie Medizingeschichte. De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2005, ISBN 3-11-015714-4 , p. 194.

[Tierphys-4] A ^b Christopher D. Moyes, Patricia M. Schulte: Tierphysiologie. Translated by Monika Niehaus , Sebastian Vogel. Pearson Studium, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8273-7270-3 , pp. 425–426 ( limited preview in the Google book search).