Monocytes circulate in the peripheral blood prior to emigration into the tissues.
Within certain organs they have special names, e.g. in liver they are known as Kupfer cells, in brain as microglia, in kidney as mesangial cells, and in bone as osteoclasts. Elsewhere they are referred to as tissue macrophages . Phagocytosis is mediated by macrophages and polymorphonuclear leucocytes . Use the BACK button of the browser to return to the previous page.