#phagocytosis

• Amoebocyte — A free migratory cell with amoeboid movements, found in the blood, hemolymph, or interstitial tissues of many invertebrate animals (such as sponges, coelenterates, or mollusks); it features a flexible structure and performs fundamental functions of intracellular digestion, nutrient transport, excretion, and immune defense via phagocytosis.
• Autophagocytosis — A cellular process of engulfing and digesting one's own structural or cytoplasmic elements (such as mitochondria or the endoplasmic reticulum) inside special autophagic vacuoles. Although often used synonymously with autophagy, the term emphasizes the mechanical and morphological component of invagination, sequestration, and internal endocytosis of cellular material by internal membranes.
• Bacteriopexy — A biological phenomenon consisting of the fixation, capture, or retention of bacteria by certain cells (especially macrophages and histiocytes) or organs with phagocytic roles, without them necessarily being destroyed immediately. In an immune sense, bacteriopexy represents an essential clearing stage of blood and lymphatic flows, whereby the body temporarily isolates infectious foci and prevents systemic dissemination of microbes.
• Bacteriotropin — A specific antibody substance (or modified opsonin) present in immune serum, capable of binding to the surface of bacteria to modify their cell wall, making them far more susceptible to phagocytosis by leukocytes. Biochemically, bacteriotropins act as marking and activating elements of the cellular defense system, enhancing the capacity of macrophages to recognize and destroy pathogens.