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What neuroglial cell serves as phagocyte (macrophage) in CNS (central nervous system)?

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Solution

The neuroglial cell that serves as a phagocyte (macrophage) in the Central Nervous System (CNS) is the microglia.

Here are the steps to understand this:

  1. Neuroglial cells, also known as glial cells, are non-neuronal cells in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system. They maintain homeostasis, form myelin, and provide support and protection for neurons.

  2. Among the types of neuroglial cells in the CNS, we have: astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymal cells, and microglia.

  3. Microglia are a type of glial cell that are the resident macrophages of the brain and spinal cord, and thus act as the first and main form of active immune defense in the CNS.

  4. Macrophages are a type of white blood cell, part of our immune system, that engulfs and digests cellular debris, foreign substances, microbes, cancer cells, and anything else that does not have the types of proteins specific to healthy body cells on its surface, in a process called phagocytosis.

  5. Therefore, in the context of the CNS, microglia perform the functions of macrophages, serving as phagocytes.

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