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An LE cell is a neutrophil or macrophage that has phagocytized (engulfed) the denatured nuclear material of another cell. The denatured material is an absorbed hematoxylin body (also called an LE body).
They are a characteristic of lupus erythematosus, but also found in similar connective tissue disorders.
The LE cell was discovered in bone marrow in 1948 by Malcolm McCallum Hargraves (1903–1982), a Physician and Practicing Histologist at the Mayo Clinic et al.
Classically, the LE cell is analyzed microscopically, but it is also possible to investigate this phenomenon by flow cytometry.
References
LE cell Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA