Lysosomes are organelles found in cells that function as the "garbage disposals" by digesting and recycling materials the cell no longer needs or wants to get rid of using around 40 digestive enzymes. They take on various shapes and sizes depending on what materials they are digesting. Lysosomes are membrane-bound sacs that perform two main functions - digesting ingested materials through releasing enzymes into vacuoles, and autophagy and cell death by breaking down the cell's own unwanted components like organelles.

1. What are lysosomes?What are lysosomes?
The “garbage disposals” of your cells; they are responsible for
digesting and recycling materials that the cell no longer needs or
has to get rid of.
Lysosomes are very common in white blood cells, where disease
and sickness are fought so a lot bacteria needs to be digested.
Their shape and size vary depending on what material is digested.
They contain about 40 different enzymes (ex. nucleases, proteases,
lipases, and carbohydrases).

2. How are they structured?How are they structured?
-Enzyme-filled sacs
-Generally spherical
-Surrounded by single
membrane

3. Main Functions ofMain Functions of
LysosomesLysosomes
1. Digestion of ingested material
(by releasing enzymes into the new vacuole)
2. Autophagy & Cell Death
(by digesting internal parts of the cell, such as
organelles)
In each example above, the red lysosomes combine with the grey unwanted
material and then release their enzymes into the material so that the enzymes can
digest it.