vacuolated

Vacuolated is an adjectival term used in biology to describe cells or tissues that contain vacuoles—membrane-bound compartments within the cytoplasm. Vacuoles serve a range of functions depending on the organism and cell type, including storage of water, ions, nutrients, waste products, and pigments; sequestration of compounds; and roles in osmoregulation and maintaining turgor pressure in plant cells.

In plant cells, vacuoles are often large and central, surrounded by the tonoplast membrane. The central vacuole stores water and contributes to structural support, while also containing minerals, pigments, and secondary metabolites. Vacuolation is a normal feature of plant cell differentiation and can increase in response to drought, salinity, or developmental cues. Plasmolysis, a condition that occurs when cells lose water, can create a vacuolated appearance as the cytoplasm withdraws from the cell wall.

In animal and human cells, vacuoles are typically smaller and more diverse in origin and function, including lysosomes, endocytic vacuoles, and lipid droplets. Cytoplasmic vacuolation can occur as a normal metabolic feature or as a sign of cellular injury (hydropic change), viral infection, toxin exposure, or autophagy. In pathology, vacuolated cytoplasm may appear foamy or clear depending on the vacuole contents, and can be observed in conditions such as fatty change in the liver and various forms of cellular stress.

Autophagic vacuoles form during autophagy and may fuse with lysosomes for degradation. The term vacuolated is typically used descriptively in microscopy to indicate the presence of vacuoles rather than to specify a single mechanism.