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Alveolar pneumocytes
Make it clearer
Pneumocytes are the cells that line the inside of the alveoli. Together they form the epithelium, the layer of cells that covers an internal surface, the way tile covers a bathroom wall. And they are not all alike: there are type I pneumocytes and type II pneumocytes, and each one does something different within that same lining.
The type I cells are the thin ones, and they cover most of that surface where oxygen passes inward and carbon dioxide moves out. The type II cells make surfactant, a substance that keeps the alveoli open instead of collapsing in on themselves, and they are also the ones that replace the epithelium when that lining gets damaged.
In brief
Pneumocytes are specialized cells that make up the epithelium, the inner lining of the alveoli. They fall into two types: type I and type II.
Type I pneumocytes are very thin and cover much of the surface where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged.
Type II pneumocytes produce surfactant, a substance that helps keep the alveoli open, and they also help repair the epithelium.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology InformationHistology, Alveolar Cells
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Updated