Cells called leukocytes do most of the heavy lifting during an inflammatory reaction. Leukocytes, commonly known as white blood cells, perform a distinct role from the other cells in your blood: red blood cells, whose principal function is to carry oxygen to all your organs. The several types of leukocytes include neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, lymphocytes, macrophages, mast cells, and basophils. All of these cells are born as stem cells inside bone marrow, a spongy tissue in the center of bones.

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