The paper concerns a very important element of innate immunity, i.e. the polimorfonuclear cell, which by the process of phagocytosis participates in defending the macroorganism against pathogens. New facts about phagocytosis have been described - metalloproteises and galectins regulating migration, selectins enhancing adherence, opsonins taking part in absorbance and oxygen dependent and independent systems as mechanisms of intracellular digestion and killing. Moreover, fate of the phagocyted polimorfonuclear cell has been shown, including apoptosis.