The white blood cell that releases histamine and other inflammatory chemicals is the

a. basophil,
b. neutrophil,
c. monocyte,
d. eosinophil.

Question

The white blood cell that releases histamine and other inflammatory chemicals is the

a. basophil,
b. neutrophil,
c. monocyte,
d. eosinophil.

Accepted Answer

Welcome back everyone. Which of the following statements about monocytes is true choice. A says monocytes are the smallest of leucocytes. Choice B says monocytes have s shaped nuclei. C says monocytes increase in number during allergic reactions. And D says monocytes function as active fagots and engulf pathogens. So let's begin by recalling that monocytes are a type of white blood cell and it's considered the largest white blood cell which has a size which can range from 12 to about micrometers. Let's then visualize within the circulation system or circulatory system. Sorry that we've got a white blood cell recall that this large white blood cell contains a horseshoe shaped or kidney shaped nucleus. So drawing that in this would be the nucleus. And if we imagine a pathogen present in the blood, which I will represent by this green rough circle, recall that monocytes are capable of differentiating into macrophages which ultimately are capable of fatos. So we can show arrows of the monocytes going towards the pathogen where ultimately the monocyte will engulf that pathogen through the process of phagocytosis. And overall, that pathogen will be digested by specific enzymes present in monocytes. So we're going to recall that once fully digesting this pathogen, the monocyte can then present fragments of the pathogen known as antigens. So monocytes can present antigens, fragments of the that pathogen on its cell surface. And that's going to be useful to trigger specific immune responses. And that's going to be extremely important for chronic infections because ultimately, if that pathogen is ever exposed to the system again, then it will be able to recognize that pathogen much more fast. And so, looking at our answer choices, based on what we've outlined choice. A stating that monocytes are the smallest of the leucocytes, we would correct to say that they are the largest of the leucocytes. Then we have choice B which states that monocytes have s shaped nuclei. We're going to correct the choice B to state that monocytes have kidney bean or we can just say kidney shaped nuclei, whatever your interpretation of that would be, we need to correct choice B. So we would rule it out as an answer choice as well. And then we have choice. C monocytes increase in number during allergic reactions. Let's recall that when an allergic reaction occurs, it's actually going to be eosinophils, another type of white blood cell. So eosinophils will actually increase in number during allergic reactions. And that is due to their very specific characteristic of releasing substances such as histamine to stimulate an inflammatory immune response. So, eosinophils normally will have that first line of attack during allergic reactions. So for that reason, that does not relate to monocytes directly. So we would rule out choice C and then we have D monocytes function as active phagocytes and engulf pathogens. And based on what we outlined in our sketch, we would agree with choice D fully as an accurate and true statement. And so that allows us to confirm that choice D is going to be our final answer to explain the truth about monocytes, which can function as active phagocytes and engulf pathogens. I hope that this made sense and let us know if you have any questions.

The white blood cell that releases histamine and other inflammatory chemicals is the a. basophil, b. neutrophil, c. monocyte, d. eosinophil.

Verified Solution

Key Concepts

Basophils

Histamine

Inflammatory Response