[Morphofunctional state of the cellular elements of a tuberculous granuloma].

In the process of histogenesis of tuberculosis granuloma in which the leading role belongs to cells of the bone-marrow origin their initial ultrastructure is rearranged and forms characterized by a high functional activity emerge. Mononuclear cells are transformed both into macrophages and epithelioid cells. Ultrastructural and functional differences in epithelioid cells were found. Some of them synthesize mainly hydrolytic enzymes, others protein, still others apparently produce glycosaminoglycans. The former have functions of macrophages, in the others no signs of phagocytosis are observed. Complexes of contacting epithelioid cells are one of the sources of multinuclear giant cells.