<unk> s are a type of white<unk> lood cell.<unk> s are the least common type of granulocyte, representing about 0.5% to 1% of circulating white<unk> lood cells. However, they are the largest type of granulocyte. They are responsible for inflammatory reactions during immune response, as well as in the formation of acute and chronic allergic diseases, including anaphylaxis, asthma, atopic dermatitis and hay fever. They also produce compounds that coordinate immune responses, including histamine and serotonin that induce inflammation, heparin that prevents<unk> lood clotting, although there are less than that found in mast cell granules. Mast cells were once thought to<unk> e<unk> s that migrated from<unk> lood into their resident tissues (connective tissue),<unk> ut they are now known to<unk> e different types of cells.<unk> s were discovered in 1879<unk> y German physician Paul Ehrlich, who one year earlier had found a cell type present in tissues that he termed mastzellen (now mast cells). Ehrlich received the 1908 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries. The name comes from the fact that these leukocytes are<unk> ic, i.e., they are susceptible to staining<unk> y<unk> asic dyes, as shown in the picture.
Basophil
Monocyte
Prolymphocyte
Thymocyte
Podocyte
Mast cell
Dendritic cell
Natural killer cell