Granulocytes
Ronald A. Bergman, Ph.D., Adel K. Afifi, M.D., Paul M. Heidger,
Jr., Ph.D.
Peer Review Status: Externally Peer Reviewed
Human, air-dried blood smear, Wright's stain, 1416 x.
Erythrocyte: Usually biconcave and circular outline, devoid of a nucleus. Number in man varies between 5 and 5.5 million per cubic mm of blood. Erythrocytes carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs.
Neutrophil: Compare sizes of the neutrophil and the erythrocyte. Lobulated nucleus, individual lobes connected by thin bridges. Cell type-specific cytoplasmic granules are small. Neutrophils constitute 40 to 75 per cent of the total white blood cell count. The number of neutrophils increases in inflammation, and they act as the first line of defense against invading pyogenic organisms.
Eosinophil: Nucleus bilobed. Cell type-specific cytoplasmic granules are large and uniform in size and stain intensely red with acid dyes. They constitute 1 to 3 per cent of total white count and increase in number in allergic states and in parasitic infections.
Basophil: The nucleus is large but less lobulated than other white blood cells. Cell type-specific cytoplasmic granules are large and variable in size and have a strong affinity for basic dyes. They constitute 0.5 to 1 per cent of white count and are believed to synthesize the heparin and histamine found in circulating blood.
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