Abstract
A question has been presented as to whether the basophilic granular cells in allergic nasal secretion belong to the blood basophils or the tissue mast cells. The purpose of this study is to answer this by electron microscopic observation on blood basophils and basophilic granular cells in the nasal secretion and mucous membrane.
From the results obtained, two types of basophilic granular cells were observed in both nasal secretion and mucous membrane. One of these, similar to the blood basophil, was small, round or oval in shape and lobulated in the nuleus, with a uniformly fine granular pattern of the specific granule. The other, similar to the tissue mast cell, was large, pleomorphic or oval in shape, mononucleated and varied in the pattern of the specific granule from granule to granule, showing scrolls, lamellae, reticula or granules.
The majority of the basophilic granular cells in the nasal secretion belonged to the former type of cells, while the majority in the deeper layer of the mucous membrane belonged to be latter, and two-fifth of cells close to the subepithelial layer belonged to the former and the remaining three-fifth to the latter.
Conclusively, the majority of the basophilic granular cells in nasal secretion belongs to the blood basophils, and mainly emigrates from the subepithelial small blood vessels of the nasal mucous membrane through the intraepithelial space.
