The giant cell in cholesterol resorption.

Giant cells in the experimental cholesterol granuloma provided a convenient, recognizable cellular model in which to follow the transformation of crystalline cholesterol to liquid lipid. Crystals that were too large to be ingested by individual macrophages were incorporated into a multinucleate cell by a process of circumfusion, and were progressively converted to cholesterol esters within the giant cell. The liquid ester droplets seemed then to be mobilized by mononuclear cells until the entire implant had been resorbed.