Lysosomes carry out autophagic and heterophagic digestion: autophagic
digestion by digesting residual substances from the cellular metabolism;
heterophagic digestion by digesting substances that enter the cell.
Lysosomes enfold the substances to be degraded forming digestive
vacuoles, or residual vacuoles, that later migrate toward the plasma
membrane fusing with it and liberating (exocytosis) the digested
material to the exterior.
