 Multinucleated cells contain multiple nuclei . Most acantharean species of protozoa and some fungi in mycorrhizae have naturally multinucleated cells . Other examples include the intestinal parasites in the genus Giardia , which have two nuclei per cell . In humans , skeletal muscle cells , called myocytes and syncytium , become multinucleated during development ; the resulting arrangement of nuclei near the periphery of the cells allows maximal intracellular space for myofibrils . Multinucleated and binucleated cells can also be abnormal in humans ; for example , cells arising from the fusion of monocytes and macrophages , known as giant multinucleated cells , sometimes accompany inflammation and are also implicated in tumor formation . 
