Alveolar macrophage

A dust cell (or alveolar macrophage) is a type of macrophage found in the pulmonary alveolus, near the pneumocytes, but separated from the wall.

Activity of the dust cells is relatively high, because they are located at one of the major boundaries between the body and the outside world.

Dust cells are another name for monocyte derivitaves in the lungs that reside on respiratory surfaces and clean particles such as dust or micro organisms off of them.

Dust cells are frequently seen to contain granuels of inorganic material such as carbon that they have picked up from respiratory surfaces, such black granuels may be especially common in smokers lungs.

External links

• Template:EMedicineDictionary
• Histology image: 13906loa – Histology Learning System at Boston University - "Respiratory System: lung (human), alveolar macrophages"
• "12508817" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
• Histology at KUMC resp-resp16 "Alveoli"
• Slide at uchc.edu
• Slide at ufl.edu