noun
- A type of white blood cell that engulfs and destroys bacteria, dead cells, and other foreign particles; a macrophage found in tissues.
Usage: medical/scientific term; also called a tissue macrophage
Examples
- Histiocytes play a crucial role in the immune system by removing pathogens and cellular debris.
- Under the microscope, the pathologist identified histiocytes infiltrating the inflamed tissue.
- Histiocytosis is a condition characterized by an abnormal accumulation of histiocytes.
- The body's histiocytes help maintain tissue health by cleaning up dead cells.
- Researchers studied how histiocytes respond to bacterial infections in laboratory cultures.