Home > Browse Issues > Vol.39 No.2
Progress in Alveolar Macrophages
Li Tingting, Zhang Xue*, Ke Yuehai, Cheng Hongqiang
Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
Abstract: Alveolar macrophages (AM) play a central role in maintaining immunological homoeostasis and host defence in the lung. Alveolar macrophages， which are originated from fetal monocytes cells， depend on the cytokine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) to self-renew. Under physiological conditions， alveolar macrophages function as sentinels to maintain homeostasis. Under pathological conditions， alveolar macrophages can also be replenished by bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells and can participate in regulating inflammation reaction process. Alveolar macrophages play an important role in airway diseases. This review highlights the origin， development and functions of alveolar macrophages， as well as their roles in pulmonary diseases.
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