LE cell

Microphotograph of a macrophage that has phagocytized a lymphocyte (LE cell). May Grünwald Giemsa stain.

An LE cell is a neutrophil or macrophage that has phagocytized (engulfed) the denatured nuclear material of another cell.[1] The denatured material is seen as an LE body.[2]

They are a characteristic of lupus erythematosus,[3] but also found in similar connective tissue disorders.

The LE cell was discovered in bone marrow in 1948 by Hargraves et al.[4]

Classically, the LE cell is analyzed microscopically, but it is also possible to investigate this phenomenon by flow cytometry.[5]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/le%20cell
  2. ↑ similima.com > Autoimmunity By Muhammed Muneer. Retrieved Mars 2011
  3. ↑ http://www.drugsfreelist.com/health_articles/4002/LE_Cell_Test__Lupus_erythematosus_test__
  4. ↑ Hargraves M, Richmond H, Morton R. Presentation of two bone marrow components, the tart cell and the LE cell. Mayo Clin Proc 1948;27:25–28.
  5. ↑ Böhm, Ingrid (1 January 2004). "Flow Cytometric Analysis of the LE Cell Phenomenon". Autoimmunity 37 (1): 37–44. doi:10.1080/08916930310001630325. PMID 15115310.