Question

What are basophil, eosinophils, neutrophils ?

Answer 1

The different types of white blood cells (leukocytes) include neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and macrophages.

White blood cells (WBCs), or leukocytes, are immune system cells that defend the body against infectious disease and foreign materials. There are several different types of WBCs. They share commonalities but are distinct in form and function. WBCs are produced in the bone marrow by hemopoeitic stem cells, which differentiate into either lymphoid or myeloid progenitor cells.

white blood cells are often characterized as granulocytes or agranulocytes.

Granulocytes:

Granulocytes, also known as polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocytes, are characterized by stained granules within their cytoplasm under a microscope.There are four types of granulocytes:

1.Neutrophils defend against bacterial or fungal infection and other very small inflammatory processes. They are usually the first responders to microbial infection. Their activity and death in large numbers from degranulation forms purulent necrosis (pus).

2.Eosinophils primarily deal with parasitic infections. They are also the predominant inflammatory cells in allergic reactions.

3.Basophils are chiefly responsible for short-term inflammatory response (particularly from allergy or irritation) by releasing the chemical histamine, which causes the vasodilation that occurs with inflammation.

4.Mast cells function similarly to basophils in that they often mediate inflammation, but are more common and arise from a different hemopoeitic lineage.