Difference between Granulocytes and Agranulocytes

Our blood contains plasma, red blood corpuscles and white blood corpuscles. Many kinds of infections attack our body, in response to those pathogens, our body has two important components that work for saving us from disease, they are granulocytes and agranulocytes. These both can be called a kind of immune cells that have specific responses towards the foreign cells. They both differ in their presence and absence of granules. 

Granulocytes and Agranulocytes are the two kinds of white blood cells or leukocytes. White blood cells (WBC) are the blood constituents that shield the body from the harmful pathogens. WBC is also called leucocyte. WBC plays a crucial role in the immune system by detecting, abolishing and eradicating pathogens, destroying damaged, cancer cells and foreign substances from the body. Leukocytes engender from bone marrow. They move in blood and lymph fluid. Leucocytes can leave blood vessels to migrate to body tissues. 

Granulocytes are kind of immune cells that have granules (granules are small particles) with enzymes that are liberated during infections, allergic reactions and Asthma. There are three kinds of granulocytes- eosinophils, neutrophils, and basophils. The cells of neutrophils have one nucleus with many lobes. Neutrophils are mostly the found WBC in circulation. The bacteria chemically attract them and they travel through tissue to the sites of infection. Neutrophils are phagocytic, it means that they inundate and aim for the destruction of target cells. 

When they are liberated, their granules work like lysosomes to digest cellular macromolecules, demolishing the neutrophil in the procedure. The eosinophils’ cell’s nucleus is double lobe and looks like the shape of U in blood smears. Eosinophils are often found in tissues that connect the stomach and the intestines. They are phagocytic and fundamentally target complexes of antigen antibodies that are formed when antibodies stick to antigens to demonstrate that they should be abolished. Eosinophils are enormously active in case of parasitic infection and allergic reaction. Basophils are the least kind of WBC. 

These have a muti-lobed nucleus and their granules consist of compounds that boost the immune system like heparin and histamine. Basophils are accountable for the body’s allergic reaction. Heparin narrows the blood and impedes the blood clotting, while histamine widens blood vessels to enhance flow of the blood in the permeability of capillaries so that leukocytes can be transferred to the infected region. 

Agranulocytes are known as those WBCs that simply lack any granules within their cytoplasm. Agranulocytes are also called non-granular leukocytes. There are 2 types of agranulocytes – lymphocytes and monocytes. These WBCs have no evident granules. Agranulocytes possess a bigger nucleus due to lack of detectable cytoplasmic granules. 

After neutrophils, lymphocytes are the most found WBC. They are spherical in structure with big nuclei and limited cytoplasm. There are 3 main kinds of lymphocytes- T-cells (they develop from stem cells in the bone marrow and mature in thymus gland), B-cells (they mature in bone marrow) and natural killer cells. T-cells and B-cells are critical for particular immune responses and natural killer cells give non-specific immunity. Monocytes are the largest in size of the WBC. These have a big, single nucleus that exists in a range of shapes but is most often kidney shaped. 

Monocytes go from blood to tissue and modify into either macrophages or dendritic cells. Macrophages are big cells found in almost all tissues. They actively work phagocytic functions. Dendritic cells live usually in the tissue of regions that touch the external antigens. They are present in the lungs, skin, gastrointestinal tract along with the interiors of the nose. Dendritic cells work fundamentally to give antigenic information to lymphocytes in lymph nodes and lymph organs to help in the processing of antigen immunity. Dendritic cells get their name because they have presentations that look like neuron dendrites. 

Conclusion

Here we see, granulocytes and agranulocytes are the two kinds of White Blood Cells or leukocytes. Granulocytes consist of granules in their cytoplasm. Agranulocytes do not consist of granules. Each type of granulocytes and agranulocytes plays a slightly distinct part in tackling infections and diseases. Granulocytes are types of immune cells that have granules with enzymes that are released during infections and allergic reactions. 

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