This video, we're going to talk some more details about basophils. And so recall from some of our previous lesson videos that basophils are one of the 3 types of granulocytes. And so these basophils, like eosinophils, are also involved in allergic reactions. But the basophils are also really important for inflammation and the inflammation response during an infection. And so these basophils will produce a molecule known as histamine. And this molecule histamine is going to be released during inflammation, and it will promote inflammation by increasing capillary permeability or the permeability of the capillaries. And the permeability is how easily penetrable it is. And so this histamine molecule that is released by increasing capillary permeability, it will allow other defense cells to easily leave the bloodstream and enter into an infected area of the host so that they can help protect and defend the host.

Now, mast cells are cells that are very similar in function to the basophils. However, the mast cells are going to be found inside of the tissues. And so they are going to be found in many different types of tissues rather than circulating through the blood like what the basophils do. And so these mast cells, are going to be capable of detecting tissue damage, degranulating to release histamine, and again, the histamine can then induce inflammation. And so, notice down below in our image over here on the left-hand side, we're showing you our little map of the granulocytes focusing specifically on the basophils this time, which are derived from common myeloid progenitor cells. And so, the basophils, are going to be very similar to the mast cells. Once again, the basophils are going to be in the blood vessels, basically circulating through the blood. And so over here on this side of the image, we're showing you specifically the basophil. And the basophil is a granulocyte, so it's going to have the cytoplasmic granules that stain a bluish purplish color and they contain histamine and so upon degranulation, releasing this histamine, the histamine once again can lead to inflammation. And so notice that the mast cells are going to be very similar to the basophils except the mast cells are embedded in the tissues. And so you can see here the mast cells embedded in the tissues.

And, again, the mast cells are going to be able to detect specific types of antigens or allergens, molecules that can cause allergies. And, again, that can lead to degranulation and the release of histamine, and the histamine can lead to inflammation. And so these basophils, again, they are important for allergic reactions and also important for the inflammation response. And so this here concludes our brief lesson on basophils and mast cells, and we'll be able to get some practice applying some of these concepts as we move forward in our course. And so I'll see you all in our next video.