In vitro and in vivo repair activities of undifferentiated and classically and alternatively activated macrophages.
OBJECTIVE
Macrophages play a critical role in wound repair. However, the specific role of the different macrophage subtypes in wound repair remains incompletely understood. The aim of this study was to compare the wound repair activities of undifferentiated macrophages (M0), classically activated macrophages (M1) and alternatively activated (M2) macrophages.


METHODS
The macrophage repair activities of intestinal wounds were evaluated using in vitro and in vivo models.


RESULTS
All three macrophage subtypes enhanced wound closure in vitro, with the M2 macrophages demonstrating greater repair activities than the M0 and M1 macrophages. Injection of M0 and M2 macrophages into mice with experimental dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis significantly enhanced ulcer repair when compared to control mice. In contrast, injection of M1 macrophages did not affect ulcer repair.


CONCLUSIONS
These results underscore the wound repair capacity of different macrophage subsets. Notably, wound repair activity is not restricted to M2 macrophages, as the current literature suggests.
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Zoé
Z
Enderlin Vaz da Silva
Hans-Anton
HA
Lehr
Dominique
D
Velin
D000818:Animals; D041702:BALB 3T3 Cells; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003092:Colitis / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D008262:Macrophage Activation / Q000502:physiology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology*; D051379:Mice; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*