Vacuoles are organelles found in animal cells in the cytoplasm. They can be distinguished from those in plants cells by size. Plant vacuoles are generally centrally located and extremely large. Animal vacuoles are much smaller. Plant vacuoles can store water, maintain turgor pressure, and store harmful wastes away from the rest of the cell.
A vacuole is a membrane-bound organelle consisting mainly of water and amino acids.
Vacuoles can be used as a place to temporarily store materials. Food vacuoles are common and can be involved in intracellular digestion and for storing and releasing waste products.
Lysosomes in animal cells, which contain hydrolytic enzymes, are similar to the larger vacuoles seen in plant cells. From research, although vacuoles are more prominent in plants and fungi, it has been shown that vacuoles and lysosomes play a role in the development of the early embryo during differentiation of cell types.
To conclude, vacuoles are organelles found in the cytoplasm. In animal cells, they along with lysosomes play a role in embryonic development as well as intracellular digestion.
I have included a link with a picture of a vacuole in an animal cell.
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