title: The role of macrophage polarization in infectious and inflammatory diseases.
abstract: Macrophages, found in circulating blood as well as integrated into several tissues and organs throughout the body, represent an important first line of defense against disease and a necessary component of healthy tissue homeostasis. Additionally, macrophages that arise from the differentiation of monocytes recruited from the blood to inflamed tissues play a central role in regulating local inflammation. Studies of macrophage activation in the last decade or so have revealed that these cells adopt a staggering range of phenotypes that are finely tuned responses to a variety of different stimuli, and that the resulting subsets of activated macrophages play critical roles in both progression and resolution of disease. This review summarizes the current understanding of the contributions of differentially polarized macrophages to various infectious and inflammatory diseases and the ongoing effort to develop novel therapies that target this key aspect of macrophage biology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Beirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research, University of Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Adam C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Labonte
authors.forename: Annie-Carole
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Tosello-Trampont
authors.forename: Young S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Hahn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007154:Immune System Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D007239:Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology*; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines