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Multifaceted roles of basophils in health and disease

Until recently, basophils had often been neglected in immunologic studies because of their minority status among immune cells or confused with tissue-resident mast cells because of some phenotypic similarities between them in spite of different anatomic localization. It is now appreciated that basophils and mast cells are distinct cell lineages and that basophils play important and nonredundant roles distinct from those played by mast cells. On the one hand, basophils contribute beneficially to protective immunity, particularly against parasitic infections. On the other hand, basophils are involved in the development of various disorders, including allergy and autoimmune disease.

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 Pre-basophils: a basophil origin story

Big changes often happen in small steps, and it’s not always easy to see how we get from point A to point B. Now, researchers from Japan have found a new step in the process of cell differentiation that leads to the production of fully functional basophils, which are critical cells in the immune system.

 The basophil

Basophils are a member of a group of cells discovered by Paul Ehrlich in the 1879. They are referred to as a “white cell” comprising no more than 1% of this cell type . They are the least common but largest of the granulocytes which include neutrophils and eosinophils, the other two groups of white cells. Basophils have the capability to produce histamine, serotonin, and are at least partially responsible for various allergic (immune) reactions in the body. If basophil levels are low, it may in certain circumstances (such as helminth infections) take longer for the body to respond to infections. Under these circumstances, patients are more at risk for more serious complications and in rare cases death.

Articles of Interest

Basophilia

Basophils are typically the least numerous myeloid cells seen in a peripheral blood smear. Their numerous dark azurophilic granules easily distinguish them. Basophilia is not a common finding in peripheral blood. This activity describes the causes of basophilia and highlights the role of the interprofessional team in the management of these patients.

Basophils as Key Regulators of Allergic Inflammation and Th2-type Immunity

Basophils have long been suspected as playing more than a bystander role in initiating and maintaining allergic disorders, despite their relatively low numbers compared with other effector cells, such as mast cells and eosinophils.

Basophils- Definition, Structure, Immunity and Functions

Basophils are similar to eosinophils in that these are produced in response to parasitic infections; however, in the absence of parasitic infections, basophils are involved in allergy symptoms.

Basophils: what they 'can do' versus what they 'actually do'

Basophils, the least abundant granulocytes, have poorly understood functions. They have been linked to the development of T helper type 2 immunity during parasite infection and allergic inflammation. Emerging evidence has not only shown the critical involvement of basophils in the development of T helper type 2 immunity but also provided useful animal models with which basophil functions can be further examined.

Thanks for the memory

Back in 1985, Benveniste began experimenting with human white blood cells involved in allergic reactions, called basophils. These possess tiny granules containing substances such as histamine, partly responsible for the allergic response. The granules can be stained with a special dye, but they can be decolourised (degranulated) by a substance called anti-immunoglobulin E or aIgE. That much is standard science. What Benveniste claimed so controversially was that he continued to observe basophil degranulation even when the aIgE had been diluted out of existence, but only as long as each dilution step, as with the preparation of homoeopathic remedies, was accompanied by strong agitation.

Understanding the roles of basophils: breaking dawn

Basophils are the least abundant leucocytes primarily found in the circulation. They comprise only a small percentage (∼ 0·5%) of circulating blood cells under steady-state conditions, but rapidly expand in the bone marrow in response to inflammatory signals and are mobilized to the blood, spleen, lung and liver. They are generated from the granulocyte–monocyte progenitors in the bone marrow and populate the periphery as fully mature cells.

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BiteSized Immunology

Basophils and mast cells have long been implicated in the pathogenesis of allergic disease as high levels of mediators common to both cell types are found in tissue locations relevant to allergic diseases. Basophils are also a source of the major Th2-driving cytokine,

Vedantu

They are made up of a variety of substances, including histamine and heparin. As part of the body's immune defense, basophils will split open (degranulate) to release these substances when needed during an allergic reaction. These cells perform various functions to protect our bodies and there are several tests that we can do to find out the damage or any kind of disease we are suffering from.