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Basophil
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The basophil is a type of white blood cell. It belongs to the granulocytes, the defense cells that carry granules, little packets visible under the microscope inside the cytoplasm. Of all the leukocytes, which is the technical name for white blood cells, the basophil makes up less than one percent.
Its role is in inflammation and the allergic reaction. It has a strong affinity for IgE, a type of antibody, that is, a defense protein that recognizes specific substances. The basophil coats itself with those IgE molecules, which stay bound to its surface, and then it waits.
When the allergen, the substance that sets off the allergy, binds to those IgE molecules, the basophil degranulates: it opens its granules and releases what it was storing, including histamine, one of the mediators of inflammation. It carries histamine already packaged inside and releases it all at once when it recognizes the signal.
In brief
The basophil is one of the blood's granulocytes and makes up less than one percent of white blood cells.
Its main role is in inflammation and the allergic reaction, and it has a strong affinity for IgE antibodies, which stay bound to its surface.
When an allergen binds that IgE, the basophil degranulates and releases inflammatory mediators such as histamine.
It carries histamine already packaged inside and releases it all at once when it recognizes the signal.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingHistology, White Blood Cell, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
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