Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (582 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Granular leukocytes having a nucleus with three to five lobes connected by slender threads of chromatin, and cytoplasm containing fine inconspicuous granules and stainable by neutral dyes.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Neutrophil; Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils; Neutrophil, Polymorphonuclear; Polymorphonuclear Neutrophil; Leukocytes, Polymorphonuclear; Leukocyte, Polymorphonuclear; Polymorphonuclear Leukocyte; Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Granulocytes; Phagocytes
- See also
- Extracellular Traps
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 106,223 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Neutrophils” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 19,154 of them (18.0%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 45,987 records.
Reviews account for 9,049 records (8.5%) and meta-analyses for 506. Randomized controlled trials number 1,276 (1.2%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 45,987 |
| 2000-2009 | 18,689 |
| 2010-2019 | 22,393 |
| 2020 onward | 19,154 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 9,049 | 8.5% |
| Meta-analyses | 506 | 0.5% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 1,276 | 1.2% |
Method: PubMed query "Neutrophils"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airway immune signatures of protection and disease progression in recent human tuberculosis household contacts | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 5 | cc by PMID 42343006 · DOI · PMC13414559 |
| Trained Immunity in Neutrophils and Mononuclear Phagocytes: Mechanisms and Pathophysiological Functions | 2026 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 4 | cc by PMID 42121853 · DOI · PMC13162937 |
| Soluble uric acid suppresses neutrophil-mediated host defense in sepsis | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 42156746 · DOI · PMC13187337 |
Airway immune signatures of protection and disease progression in recent human tuberculosis household contacts [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The local immune factors dictating whether individuals who have been infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis remain healthy or progress to active tuberculosis (TB) have not been defined.
- Closing excerpt
- Our findings from early human airway responses in TB contacts reveal genes, pathways and cell states that may dictate infection outcome and inform strategies for developing effective host-directed therapies and vaccines.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (178 words)
The local immune factors dictating whether individuals who have been infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis remain healthy or progress to active tuberculosis (TB) have not been defined. Here we interrogated the airway immune response at single-cell resolution in bronchoalveolar lavage from positron emission and computed tomography-characterized recent TB household contacts, who either controlled the infection or progressed to TB disease, as well as of patients with active TB at diagnosis. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed type I IFN-dependent and IFN-independent neutrophil signatures in bronchoalveolar lavage from patients with active TB and TB progressors. We report an inverse relationship between airway neutrophils and T cells, with T cells showing signatures of exhaustion, cytotoxicity and cell death in progressors and patients with active TB with a neutrophil-dominated airway profile. Conversely, we identified T cell signatures of protection in nonprogressor contacts dominated by genes related to regulation, quiescence and a stem-like profile. Our findings from early human airway responses in TB contacts reveal genes, pathways and cell states that may dictate infection outcome and inform strategies for developing effective host-directed therapies and vaccines.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42343006 · DOI · PMC13414559
Trained Immunity in Neutrophils and Mononuclear Phagocytes: Mechanisms and Pathophysiological Functions [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Trained immunity refers to the enduring functional reprogramming of innate immune cells after particular stimuli, driven by epigenetic and metabolic alterations that augment non-specific responses upon subsequent exposure.
- Closing excerpt
- Comprehending these pathways is crucial for elucidating the cellular foundation of innate immunological memory, uncovering its multiple functions in disease, and guiding innovative therapeutics aimed at granulopoiesis and monocyte-macrophage polarization.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (201 words)
Trained immunity refers to the enduring functional reprogramming of innate immune cells after particular stimuli, driven by epigenetic and metabolic alterations that augment non-specific responses upon subsequent exposure. Neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages, as essential innate effectors, are crucial for the induction and control of trained immunity, which is the primary emphasis of this review. Neutrophils, the predominant circulating leukocytes, were historically considered incapable of memory owing to their brief lifespan. Emerging evidence indicates that trained immunity functions at the bone marrow progenitor level, influencing granulopoiesis to produce neutrophils with lasting functional modifications. This research offers new insights into neutrophil functions in infection, cancer, and inflammation. Monocytes and macrophages, characterized by phenotypic plasticity and tissue residence, function as conventional models of trained immunity. They experience direct peripheral reprogramming or emerge as primed descendants of trained bone marrow precursors, performing pro-inflammatory or reparative roles in malignancies, infections, and ischemia lesions. This study comprehensively outlines the regulatory mechanisms of trained immunity in these cells, clarifies their functions in various clinical situations, and examines therapeutic applications. Comprehending these pathways is crucial for elucidating the cellular foundation of innate immunological memory, uncovering its multiple functions in disease, and guiding innovative therapeutics aimed at granulopoiesis and monocyte-macrophage polarization.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42121853 · DOI · PMC13162937
Soluble uric acid suppresses neutrophil-mediated host defense in sepsis [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Neutrophils are essential for host defense and inflammation, yet their dysfunction is a hallmark of acquired immunodeficiency in kidney disease, contributing to increased susceptibility to infections such as peritonitis, sepsis, and pneumonia.
- Closing excerpt
- Together, our findings identify HU as an immunometabolic regulator that amplifies hyperinflammation, while simultaneously impairing effective host defense, suggesting that targeting UA may help to overcome acquired immunodeficiency in kidney disease.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (203 words)
Neutrophils are essential for host defense and inflammation, yet their dysfunction is a hallmark of acquired immunodeficiency in kidney disease, contributing to increased susceptibility to infections such as peritonitis, sepsis, and pneumonia. We speculated that impaired renal clearance of the metabolite soluble uric acid (sUA) accounts for neutrophil dysfunction. Indeed, hyperuricemia (HU, serum UA of 9-14 mg/dL) related or unrelated to kidney disease significantly exacerbates the inflammatory immune response in mice with endotoxemia and bacterial sepsis. Despite promoting hyperinflammation, HU simultaneously impairs host defense, an effect that is partially reversible by lowering UA levels with febuxostat. We validated these findings in vitro using neutrophils or serum from healthy individuals or hyperuricemic patients with chronic kidney disease. Depleting UA partially restores neutrophil function. Mechanistically, sUA promotes neutrophil activation and degranulation but impairs phagocytosis, leading to reduced NOX2 expression independent of intracellular MPO levels. This results in diminished ROS production and defective bacterial clearance in human neutrophils. In contrast, sUA has no impact on neutrophil extracellular trap formation following exposure to LPS or E.coli. Together, our findings identify HU as an immunometabolic regulator that amplifies hyperinflammation, while simultaneously impairing effective host defense, suggesting that targeting UA may help to overcome acquired immunodeficiency in kidney disease.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42156746 · DOI · PMC13187337
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Prognostic role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in solid tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis [4]
- Research article Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and cancer prognosis: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies [5]
- Research article Prognostic role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis [6]
- Research article Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A meta-analysis [7]
- Research article Prognostic value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in sepsis: A meta-analysis [8]
- Research article Prognostic role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis [9]
References
- Branchett WJ, Kim JW, Shields J, Chakravarty P, Lee J, Novsarka I, et al.. Airway immune signatures of protection and disease progression in recent human tuberculosis household contacts. . 2026. PMID 42343006 · DOI · PMC13414559
- Li W, Wei J, Li L, Sun W. Trained Immunity in Neutrophils and Mononuclear Phagocytes: Mechanisms and Pathophysiological Functions. . 2026. PMID 42121853 · DOI · PMC13162937
- Li Q, Anders J, Flora K, Ehreiser L, Wendling C, Zhang F, et al.. Soluble uric acid suppresses neutrophil-mediated host defense in sepsis. . 2026. PMID 42156746 · DOI · PMC13187337
- Templeton AJ, McNamara MG, Šeruga B, Vera-Badillo FE, Aneja P, Ocaña A, et al.. Prognostic role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in solid tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2014. PMID 24875653 · DOI
- Cupp MA, Cariolou M, Tzoulaki I, Aune D, Evangelou E, Berlanga-Taylor AJ. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and cancer prognosis: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies. BMC Med. 2020. PMID 33213430 · DOI · PMC7678319
- Ethier JL, Desautels D, Templeton A, Shah PS, Amir E. Prognostic role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Breast Cancer Res. 2017. PMID 28057046 · DOI · PMC5217326
- Lagunas-Rangel FA. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A meta-analysis. J Med Virol. 2020. PMID 32242950 · DOI · PMC7228336
- Huang Z, Fu Z, Huang W, Huang K. Prognostic value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in sepsis: A meta-analysis. Am J Emerg Med. 2020. PMID 31785981 · DOI
- Li MX, Liu XM, Zhang XF, Zhang JF, Wang WL, Zhu Y, et al.. Prognostic role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Cancer. 2014. PMID 24122750 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.