Basophil

This article is about a type of blood cell. For the endocrine cell of the anterior pituitary, see basophil cell.
Basophil
3D rendering of a basophil
Dyed basophil among red blood cells
Details
SystemImmune system
Identifiers
MeSHD001491
THH2.00.04.1.02022
FMA62862
Anatomical terms of microanatomy

Basophils are a type of white blood cell. Basophils are the least common type of granulocyte, representing about 0.5% to 1% of circulating white blood cells.[1] They are the largest type of granulocyte. They are responsible for inflammatory reactions during immune response, as well as in the formation of acute and chronic allergic diseases, including anaphylaxis, asthma, atopic dermatitis and hay fever.[2] They also produce compounds that coordinate immune responses, including histamine and serotonin that induce inflammation, and heparin that prevents blood clotting,[3] although there are less than that found in mast cell granules.[4] Mast cells were once thought to be basophils that migrated from the blood into their resident tissues (connective tissue), but they are now known to be different types of cells.[5]

Basophils were discovered in 1879 by German physician Paul Ehrlich, who one year earlier had found a cell type present in tissues that he termed mastzellen (now mast cells).[6] Ehrlich received the 1908 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries.

The name comes from the fact that these leukocytes are basophilic, i.e., they are susceptible to staining by basic dyes, as shown in the picture.

  1. ^ "Blood differential test". Medline Plus. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  2. ^ Mukai K, Galli SJ (2013). "Basophils". Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. Vol. Online. doi:10.1002/9780470015902.a0001120.pub3. ISBN 978-0470016176. Archived from the original on 2016-05-01. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Khurana (2009). Textbook Of Medical Physiology (2nd ed.). Elsevier. p. 180. ISBN 978-81-8147-850-4. Archived from the original on 2018-05-04.
  4. ^ Stone KD, Prussin C, Metcalfe DD (February 2010). "IgE, mast cells, basophils, and eosinophils". The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 125 (2 Suppl 2): S73-80. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2009.11.017. PMC 2847274. PMID 20176269.
  5. ^ Franco CB, Chen CC, Drukker M, Weissman IL, Galli SJ (April 2010). "Distinguishing mast cell and granulocyte differentiation at the single-cell level". Cell Stem Cell. 6 (4): 361–8. doi:10.1016/j.stem.2010.02.013. PMC 2852254. PMID 20362540.
  6. ^ Blank U, Falcone FH, Nilsson G (September 2013). "The history of mast cell and basophil research - some lessons learnt from the last century". Allergy. 68 (9): 1093–101. doi:10.1111/all.12197. PMID 23991682. S2CID 31710697.