basophile
(bā′sō-fĭl)
[Pronunciation]
(-fīl″)
[Gr. basis, base, + philein, to love]

1. A cell or part of a cell that stains readily with basic dyes such as methylene blue.
2. A type of cell found in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland.
It usually produces corticotropin (ACTH), the hormone that stimulates the adrenal cortex to secrete cortisol.
3. One type of granulocytic white blood cell.
Basophils make up less than 1% of all leukocytes but are essential to the innate immune response of inflammation because they release histamine and other chemicals that dilate blood vessels and make capillaries more permeable.
SYN: basophilic leukocyte
See: blood