Asteroid body

An asteroid body is a microscopic finding seen within the giant cells of granulomas in diseases such as sarcoidosis and foreign-body giant cell reactions.

Traditionally, they were thought to be cytoskeletal elements and to consist primarily of vimentin.

[2] However, more recent research suggested that that was incorrect and that they may be composed of lipids arranged into bilayer membranes.

[3] They were also once thought to be related to centrioles,[4] an organelle involved in cell division in eukaryotes.

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