List of distinct cell types in the adult human body

There are about 210 known distinct human cell types.

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Keratinizing epithelial cells

• Epidermal keratinocyte (differentiating epidermal cell)
• Epidermal basal cell (stem cell)
• Keratinocyte of fingernails and toenails
• Nail bed basal cell (stem cell)
• Medullary hair shaft cell
• Cortical hair shaft cell
• Cuticular hair shaft cell
• Cuticular hair root sheath cell
• Hair root sheath cell of Huxley's layer
• Hair root sheath cell of Henle's layer
• External hair root sheath cell
• Hair matrix cell (stem cell)

Wet stratified barrier epithelial cells

• Surface epithelial cell of stratified squamous epithelium of cornea, tongue, oral cavity, esophagus, anal canal, distal urethra and vagina
• basal cell (stem cell) of epithelia of cornea, tongue, oral cavity, esophagus, anal canal, distal urethra and vagina
• Urinary epithelium cell (lining urinary bladder and urinary ducts)

Exocrine secretory epithelial cells

• Salivary gland mucous cell (polysaccharide-rich secretion)
• Salivary gland serous cell (glycoprotein enzyme-rich secretion)
• Von Ebner's gland cell in tongue (washes taste buds)
• Mammary gland cell (milk secretion)
• Lacrimal gland cell (tear secretion)
• Ceruminous gland cell in ear (wax secretion)
• Eccrine sweat gland dark cell (glycoprotein secretion)
• Eccrine sweat gland clear cell (small molecule secretion)
• Apocrine sweat gland cell (odoriferous secretion, sex-hormone sensitive)
• Gland of Moll cell in eyelid (specialized sweat gland)
• Sebaceous gland cell (lipid-rich sebum secretion)
• Bowman's gland cell in nose (washes olfactory epithelium)
• Brunner's gland cell in duodenum (enzymes and alkaline mucus)
• Seminal vesicle cell (secretes seminal fluid components, including fructose for swimming sperm)
• Prostate gland cell (secretes seminal fluid components)
• Bulbourethral gland cell (mucus secretion)
• Bartholin's gland cell (vaginal lubricant secretion)
• Gland of Littre cell (mucus secretion)
• Uterus endometrium cell (carbohydrate secretion)
• Isolated goblet cell of respiratory and digestive tracts (mucus secretion)
• Stomach lining mucous cell (mucus secretion)
• Gastric gland zymogenic cell (pepsinogen secretion)
• Gastric gland oxyntic cell (hydrochloric acid secretion)
• Pancreatic acinar cell (bicarbonate and digestive enzyme secretion)
• Paneth cell of small intestine (lysozyme secretion)
• Type II pneumocyte of lung (surfactant secretion)
• Clara cell of lung

Hormone secreting cells

• Anterior pituitary cells
  • Somatotropes
  • Lactotropes
  • Thyrotropes
  • Gonadotropes
  • Corticotropes
• Intermediate pituitary cell, secreting melanocyte-stimulating hormone
• Magnocellular neurosecretory cells
  • secreting oxytocin
  • secreting vasopressin
• Gut and respiratory tract cells
  • secreting serotonin
  • secreting endorphin
  • secreting somatostatin
  • secreting gastrin
  • secreting secretin
  • secreting cholecystokinin
  • secreting insulin
  • secreting glucagon
  • secreting bombesin
• Thyroid gland cells
  • thyroid epithelial cell
  • parafollicular cell
• Parathyroid gland cells
  • Parathyroid chief cell
  • oxyphil cell
• Adrenal gland cells
  • chromaffin cells
  • secreting steroid hormones (mineralcorticoids and gluco corticoids)
• Leydig cell of testes secreting testosterone
• Theca interna cell of ovarian follicle secreting estrogen
• Corpus luteum cell of ruptured ovarian follicle secreting progesterone
  • Granulosa lutein cells
  • Theca lutein cells
• Juxtaglomerular cell (renin secretion)
• Macula densa cell of kidney
• Peripolar cell of kidney
• Mesangial cell of kidney

Metabolism and storage cells

• Hepatocyte (liver cell)
• White fat cell
• Brown fat cell
• Liver lipocyte

Barrier function cells (Lung, Gut, Exocrine Glands and Urogenital Tract)

Kidney

• Kidney glomerulus parietal cell
• Kidney glomerulus podocyte
• Kidney proximal tubule brush border cell
• Loop of Henle thin segment cell
• Kidney distal tubule cell
• Kidney collecting duct cell

Other

• Type I pneumocyte (lining air space of lung)
• Pancreatic duct cell (centroacinar cell)
• Nonstriated duct cell (of sweat gland, salivary gland, mammary gland, etc.)
  • principal cell
  • Intercalated cell
• Duct cell (of seminal vesicle, prostate gland, etc.)
• Intestinal brush border cell (with microvilli)
• Exocrine gland striated duct cell
• Gall bladder epithelial cell
• Ductulus efferens nonciliated cell
• Epididymal principal cell
• Epididymal basal cell

Epithelial cells lining closed internal body cavities

• Blood vessel and lymphatic vascular endothelial fenestrated cell
• Blood vessel and lymphatic vascular endothelial continuous cell
• Blood vessel and lymphatic vascular endothelial splenic cell
• Synovial cell (lining joint cavities, hyaluronic acid secretion)
• Serosal cell (lining peritoneal, pleural, and pericardial cavities)
• Squamous cell (lining perilymphatic space of ear)
• Squamous cell (lining endolymphatic space of ear)
• Columnar cell of endolymphatic sac with microvilli (lining endolymphatic space of ear)
• Columnar cell of endolymphatic sac without microvilli (lining endolymphatic space of ear)
• Dark cell (lining endolymphatic space of ear)
• Vestibular membrane cell (lining endolymphatic space of ear)
• Stria vascularis basal cell (lining endolymphatic space of ear)
• Stria vascularis marginal cell (lining endolymphatic space of ear)
• Cell of Claudius (lining endolymphatic space of ear)
• Cell of Boettcher (lining endolymphatic space of ear)
• Choroid plexus cell (cerebrospinal fluid secretion)
• Pia-arachnoid squamous cell
• Pigmented ciliary epithelium cell of eye
• Nonpigmented ciliary epithelium cell of eye
• Corneal endothelial cell

Ciliated cells with propulsive function

• Respiratory tract ciliated cell
• Oviduct ciliated cell (in female)
• Uterine endometrial ciliated cell (in female)
• Rete testis cilated cell (in male)
• Ductulus efferens ciliated cell (in male)
• Ciliated ependymal cell of central nervous system (lining brain cavities)

Extracellular matrix secretion cells

• Ameloblast epithelial cell (tooth enamel secretion)
• Planum semilunatum epithelial cell of vestibular apparatus of ear (proteoglycan secretion)
• Organ of Corti interdental epithelial cell (secreting tectorial membrane covering hair cells)
• Loose connective tissue fibroblasts
• Corneal fibroblasts
• Tendon fibroblasts
• Bone marrow reticular tissue fibroblasts
• Other nonepithelial fibroblasts
• Pericyte
• Nucleus pulposus cell of intervertebral disc
• Cementoblast/cementocyte (tooth root bonelike cementum secretion)
• Odontoblast/odontocyte (tooth dentin secretion)
• Hyaline cartilage chondrocyte
• Fibrocartilage chondrocyte
• Elastic cartilage chondrocyte
• Osteoblast/osteocyte
• Osteoprogenitor cell (stem cell of osteoblasts)
• Hyalocyte of vitreous body of eye
• Stellate cell of perilymphatic space of ear

Contractile cells

• Skeletal muscle cells
  • Red skeletal muscle cell (slow)
  • White skeletal muscle cell (fast)
  • Intermediate skeletal muscle cell
  • nuclear bag cell of Muscle spindle
  • nuclear chain cell of Muscle spindle
• Satellite cell (stem cell)
• heart muscle cells
  • Ordinary heart muscle cell
  • Nodal heart muscle cell
  • Purkinje fiber cell
• Smooth muscle cell (various types)
• Myoepithelial cell of iris
• Myoepithelial cell of exocrine glands
• Red Blood Cell

Blood and immune system cells

• Erythrocyte (red blood cell)
• Megakaryocyte (platelet precursor)
• Monocyte
• Connective tissue macrophage (various types)
• Epidermal Langerhans cell
• Osteoclast (in bone)
• Dendritic cell (in lymphoid tissues)
• Microglial cell (in central nervous system)
• Neutrophil granulocyte
• Eosinophil granulocyte
• Basophil granulocyte
• Mast cell
• Helper T cell
• Suppressor T cell
• Cytotoxic T cell
• NKT Cell
• B cells
• Natural killer cell
• Reticulocyte
• Stem cells and committed progenitors for the blood and immune system (various types)

Sensory transducer cells

• Auditory inner hair cell of organ of Corti
• Auditory outer hair cell of organ of Corti
• Basal cell of olfactory epithelium (stem cell for olfactory neurons)
• Cold-sensitive primary sensory neurons
• Heat-sensitive primary sensory neurons
• Merkel cell of epidermis (touch sensor)
• Olfactory receptor neuron
• Pain-sensitive primary sensory neurons (various types)
• Photoreceptor cells of retina in eye:
  • Photoreceptor rod cells
  • Photoreceptor blue-sensitive cone cell of eye
  • Photoreceptor green-sensitive cone cell of eye
  • [Photoreceptor red-sensitive cone cell of eye
• Proprioceptive primary sensory neurons (various types)
• Touch-sensitive primary sensory neurons (various types)
• Type I carotid body cell (blood pH sensor)
• Type II carotid body cell (blood pH sensor)
• Type I hair cell of vestibular apparatus of ear (acceleration and gravity)
• Type II hair cell of vestibular apparatus of ear (acceleration and gravity)
• Type I taste bud cell

Autonomic neuron cells

• Cholinergic neural cell (various types)
• Adrenergic neural cell (various types)
• Peptidergic neural cell (various types)

Sense organ and peripheral neuron supporting cells

• Inner pillar cell of organ of Corti
• Outer pillar cell of organ of Corti
• Inner phalangeal cell of organ of Corti
• Outer phalangeal cell of organ of Corti
• Border cell of organ of Corti
• Hensen cell of organ of Corti
• Vestibular apparatus supporting cell
• Type I taste bud supporting cell
• Olfactory epithelium supporting cell
• Schwann cell
• Satellite cell (encapsulating peripheral nerve cell bodies)
• Enteric glial cell

Central nervous system neurons and glial cells

• Astrocyte (various types)
• Neuron cells (large variety of types, still poorly classified)
• Oligodendrocyte
• Spindle neuron

Lens cells

• Anterior lens epithelial cell
• Crystallin-containing lens fiber cell
• karan cells

Pigment cells

• Melanocyte
• Retinal pigmented epithelial cell

Germ cells

• Oogonium/Oocyte
• Spermatid
• Spermatocyte
• Spermatogonium cell (stem cell for spermatocyte)
• Spermatozoon

Nurse cells

• Ovarian follicle cell
• Sertoli cell (in testis)
• Thymus epithelial cell

Interstitial cells

• Interstitial kidney cells^[1]

References

• Robert A. Freitas Jr., Nanomedicine, Volume I: Basic Capabilities, Landes Bioscience, Georgetown, TX, 1999

See also

• Wikipedia:MeSH A11