What is a “foreign body giant cell reaction”, and how do they happen?
In: Biology
Your immune system is involved to stop foreign/unknown things from getting into your body and harming you. One of the types of cells that do this are called macrophages (literally “big eaters”), which basically eat bacteria, viruses, etc in order to get rid of them.
Larger foreign bodies (like multi-cell parasites, or implanted materials) can’t be eaten by a single macrophage. Instead, a large number of macrophages cover the foreign body, and they all fuse into a giant cell. This giant cell then in turn forms a barrier that protects the rest of the body from whatever entered it.
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