Kupffer cells are a specialized form of immune cells that exist only within the liver. They are one of several kinds of macrophages, a type of white blood cells, that help the body maintain health by destroying bacteria, old blood cells and other foreign substances that occur in the blood stream because of illness, injury or body malfunction or simply through natural aging of the various body cells. Kupffer cells develop within the bone marrow, then migrate to the liver, where they complete their development into cells specially designed to protect the liver.
These specialized immune cells are considered part of the reticuloendothelial system, a part of the immune system. This subdivision of the overall human immune system consists not only of the Kupffer cells, but also of immune cells located in the reticular connective tissue. Reticular connective tissue is specialized tissue that supports the lymph nodes, the spleen and the red bone marrow. It also helps support adipose tissue, or fat cells. All of these elements contribute to the complex network of cells and organs that constitute the human immune system.
