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Review
. 2012 Aug;93(4):243-51.
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2613.2012.00833.x. Epub 2012 Jul 7.

The role of macrophages in healing the wounded lung

Andreas Alber  1 , Sarah E M Howie, William A H Wallace, Nikhil Hirani
Affiliations
Review

The role of macrophages in healing the wounded lung

Andreas Alber et al. Int J Exp Pathol. 2012 Aug.

Abstract

Acute tissue injury is often considered in the context of a wound. The host response to wounding is an orchestrated series of events, the fundamentals of which are preserved across all multicellular organisms. In the human lung, there are a myriad of causes of injury, but only a limited number of consequences: complete resolution, persistent and/or overwhelming inflammation, a combination of resolution/remodelling with fibrosis or progressive fibrosis. In all cases where complete resolution does not occur, there is the potential for significant ongoing morbidity and ultimately death through respiratory failure. In this review, we consider the elements of injury, resolution and repair as they occur in the lung. We specifically focus on the role of the macrophage, long considered to have a pivotal role in regulating the host response to injury and tissue repair.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Basic concept of wound healing and regeneration: injury, inflammation, new tissue formation and remodelling followed by resolution or pathological fibrosis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Classic concept of origin, classification and activation of macrophages.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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