Charcot-Leyden crystals
Encyclopedia
Charcot-Leyden crystals are microscopic
crystal
s found in people who have allergic diseases
such as asthma or parasitic infections such as parasitic pneumonia
or ascariasis
.
The Charcot-Leyden crystal protein
interacts with eosinophil lysophospholipases.
purplish-red by trichrome
. They consist of lysophospholipase
, an enzyme
synthesized by eosinophils, and are produced from the breakdown of these cells.
Charcot-Leyden crystals are often seen pathologically in patients with bronchial asthma.
was the first to notice these crystals, doing so in 1851, after which they were described jointly by Jean-Martin Charcot
and Charles-Philippe Robin
in 1853, then in 1872 by Ernst Viktor von Leyden
.
Microscope
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
s found in people who have allergic diseases
Allergy
An Allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Allergic reactions occur when a person's immune system reacts to normally harmless substances in the environment. A substance that causes a reaction is called an allergen. These reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid...
such as asthma or parasitic infections such as parasitic pneumonia
Parasitic pneumonia
Parasitic pneumonia is an infection of the lungs by parasites. It is a rare cause of pneumonia, occurring almost exclusively in immunocompromised persons . This is a respiratory infection that may or may not be serious.There are a variety of parasites which can affect the lungs...
or ascariasis
Ascariasis
Ascariasis is a human disease caused by the parasitic roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides. Perhaps as many as one quarter of the world's people are infected, with rates of 45% in Latin America and 95% in parts of Africa. Ascariasis is particularly prevalent in tropical regions and in areas of poor...
.
The Charcot-Leyden crystal protein
CLC (gene)
Eosinophil lysophospholipase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the CLC gene.-Further reading:...
interacts with eosinophil lysophospholipases.
Appearance
They vary in size and may be as large as 50 µm in length. Charcot-Leyden crystals are slender and pointed at both ends, consisting of a pair of hexagonal pyramids joined at their bases. Normally colorless, they are stainedStaining (biology)
Staining is an auxiliary technique used in microscopy to enhance contrast in the microscopic image. Stains and dyes are frequently used in biology and medicine to highlight structures in biological tissues for viewing, often with the aid of different microscopes...
purplish-red by trichrome
Masson's trichrome
Masson's trichrome is a three-colour staining protocol used in histology. The recipes evolved from Claude L. Pierre Masson's original formulation to different specific applications, but all are suited for distinguishing cells from surrounding connective tissue....
. They consist of lysophospholipase
Lysophospholipase
In enzymology, a lysophospholipase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reactionThus, the two substrates of this enzyme are 2-lysophosphatidylcholine and H2O, whereas its two products are glycerophosphocholine and carboxylate....
, an enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
synthesized by eosinophils, and are produced from the breakdown of these cells.
Clinical significance
They are indicative of a disease involving eosinophilic inflammation or proliferation, such as is found in allergic reactions and parasitic infections.Charcot-Leyden crystals are often seen pathologically in patients with bronchial asthma.
History
Friedrich Albert von ZenkerFriedrich Albert von Zenker
Friedrich Albert von Zenker was a German pathologist and physician, celebrated for his discovery of trichinosis. He was born in Dresden, and was educated in Leipzig and Heidelberg. Attached to the city hospital of Dresden in 1851, he added, in 1855, the duties of professor of pathological...
was the first to notice these crystals, doing so in 1851, after which they were described jointly by Jean-Martin Charcot
Jean-Martin Charcot
Jean-Martin Charcot was a French neurologist and professor of anatomical pathology. He is known as "the founder of modern neurology" and is "associated with at least 15 medical eponyms", including Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis...
and Charles-Philippe Robin
Charles-Philippe Robin
Charles-Philippe Robin was a French anatomist, biologist, and histologist who was born in Jasseron, département Ain....
in 1853, then in 1872 by Ernst Viktor von Leyden
Ernst Viktor von Leyden
Ernst Viktor von Leyden was a German internist from Danzig.Leyden studied medicine at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Institut in Berlin, and was a pupil of Johann Lukas Schönlein and Ludwig Traube . He was a medical professor at several universities, including Königsberg, Strassburg and Berlin...
.
External links
- http://www.som.tulane.edu/classware/pathology/medical_pathology/New_for_98/Lung_Review/Lung-26.html
- http://www.udel.edu/medtech/dlehman/medt372/Ch-lyd.html