Splenocyte

A splenocyte is a white blood cell that resides in the spleen and are involved in functions of the spleen, like filtering blood and the immune response.

Splenocytes consist of a variety of cell populations such as T and B lymphocytes, dendritic cells and macrophages, which have different immune functions.

Overview
Splenocytes are spleen cells and consist of leukocytes like B and T cells, dendritic cells, and macrophages. The spleen is split into red and white pulp regions with the marginal zone separating the two areas. The red pulp is involved with filtering blood and recycling iron, while the white pulp is involved in the immune response.

The red pulp contains macrophages that phagocytose old or damaged red blood cells.

The white pulp contains separate compartments for B and T cells called the B cell zone (BCZ) and the T cell zone (TCZ). B cells make antibodies to fight off bacterial, viral, and fungal infections, and T cells are activated in response to antigens.

The marginal zone (MZ) separates the red and white pulp regions and contains macrophages, B cells, and dendritic cells. MZ macrophages remove some types of blood-borne bacteria and viruses. MZ B and dendritic cells are involved in antigen processing and presentation to lymphocytes in the white pulp.