The Evolving Roles of Cardiac Macrophages in Homeostasis, Regeneration, and Repair. Int J Mol Sci 2021 Jul 25;22(15)
Date
08/08/2021Pubmed ID
34360689Pubmed Central ID
PMC8347787DOI
10.3390/ijms22157923Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85111068209 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 26 CitationsAbstract
Macrophages were first described as phagocytic immune cells responsible for maintaining tissue homeostasis by the removal of pathogens that disturb normal function. Historically, macrophages have been viewed as terminally differentiated monocyte-derived cells that originated through hematopoiesis and infiltrated multiple tissues in the presence of inflammation or during turnover in normal homeostasis. However, improved cell detection and fate-mapping strategies have elucidated the various lineages of tissue-resident macrophages, which can derive from embryonic origins independent of hematopoiesis and monocyte infiltration. The role of resident macrophages in organs such as the skin, liver, and the lungs have been well characterized, revealing functions well beyond a pure phagocytic and immunological role. In the heart, recent research has begun to decipher the functional roles of various tissue-resident macrophage populations through fate mapping and genetic depletion studies. Several of these studies have elucidated the novel and unexpected roles of cardiac-resident macrophages in homeostasis, including maintaining mitochondrial function, facilitating cardiac conduction, coronary development, and lymphangiogenesis, among others. Additionally, following cardiac injury, cardiac-resident macrophages adopt diverse functions such as the clearance of necrotic and apoptotic cells and debris, a reduction in the inflammatory monocyte infiltration, promotion of angiogenesis, amelioration of inflammation, and hypertrophy in the remaining myocardium, overall limiting damage extension. The present review discusses the origin, development, characterization, and function of cardiac macrophages in homeostasis, cardiac regeneration, and after cardiac injury or stress.
Author List
Alvarez-Argote S, O'Meara CCAuthor
Caitlin C. O'Meara PhD Associate Professor in the Physiology department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsHeart
Homeostasis
Humans
Inflammation
Macrophages
Myocardium
Regeneration
