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Armed with an arsenal of antimicrobial mechanisms, neutrophils are among the first innate immune cells recruited to the site of bacterial infection. Neutrophils utilize both oxidative and non-oxidative strategies to kill invading microorganisms. Components for non-oxidative killing include antimicrobial proteases that are packaged within intracellular vesicles ("granules"). Neutrophil granules are preformed vesicles of a defined composition that are released in a regulated manner The process by which neutrophils mobilize granules is called degranulation. Degranulation can occur at the plasma membrane for extracellular release (killing extracellular microorganisms) or to the phagosome for intracellular delivery (killing intracellular microorganisms) Extracellular degranulation is a double-edged sword of neutrophil antimicrobial function: The antimicrobials contained within granules can kill bacteria, but excessive degranulation can damage host tissue
Eichelberger et al. (Thu,) studied this question.