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Due to their role in phagocytosis, macrophages are involved in many diseases of the immune system. For example, they participate in the formation of granulomas, inflammatory lesions that may be caused by a large number of diseases. Some disorders, mostly rare, of ineffective phagocytosis and macrophage function have been described, for example ...
In immunology, the mononuclear phagocyte system or mononuclear phagocytic system (MPS) also known as the macrophage system is a part of the immune system that consists of the phagocytic cells [1] located in reticular connective tissue. The cells are primarily monocytes and macrophages, and they accumulate in lymph nodes and the spleen.
The immune system is involved in many aspects of physiological regulation in the body. The immune system interacts intimately with other systems, such as the endocrine [83] [84] and the nervous [85] [86] [87] systems. The immune system also plays a crucial role in embryogenesis (development of the embryo), as well as in tissue repair and ...
Macrophages are found throughout the body in almost all tissues and organs (e.g., microglial cells in the brain and alveolar macrophages in the lungs), where they silently lie in wait. A macrophage's location can determine its size and appearance. Macrophages cause inflammation through the production of interleukin-1, interleukin-6, and TNF ...
In general, monocytes and their macrophage and dendritic cell progeny serve three main functions in the immune system. These are phagocytosis , antigen presentation, and cytokine production. Phagocytosis is the process of uptake of microbes and particles followed by digestion and destruction of this material.
Macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells are all cells of the innate immune system that utilize phagocytosis and are equipped with Toll-like receptors (TLR). Toll-like receptors are present on each of these cells and recognize a variety of microbial products resulting in the induction of more specific immune responses. [ 2 ]
Macrophage polarization is a process by which macrophages adopt different functional programs in response to the signals from their microenvironment. This ability is connected to their multiple roles in the organism: they are powerful effector cells of the innate immune system, but also important in removal of cellular debris, embryonic development and tissue repair.
During the years that followed after Aschoff had originated the concept of RES, research on macrophages and their role as phagocytes steadily increased, and in 1960 the concept of the mononuclear phagocyte system was proposed to denote all cells identified as macrophages. The cells of MPS, by way of their common functional signature as ...