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Macrophages in Healing Wounds: Paradoxes and Paradigms

journal contribution
posted on 2022-06-03, 19:35 authored by Luisa DiPietroLuisa DiPietro, Traci A Wilgus, Timothy KohTimothy Koh
Macrophages are prominent cells in normally healing adult skin wounds, yet their exact functions and functional significance to healing outcomes remain enigmatic. Many functional attributes are ascribed to wound macrophages, including host defense and support of the proliferation of new tissue to replace that lost by injury. Indeed, the depletion of macrophages is unmistakably detrimental to normal skin healing in adult mammals. Yet in certain systems, dermal wounds seem to heal well with limited or even no functional macrophages, creating an apparent paradox regarding the function of this cell in wounds. Recent advances in our understanding of wound macrophage phenotypes, along with new information about cellular plasticity in wounds, may provide some explanation for the apparently contradictory findings and suggest new paradigms regarding macrophage function in wounds. Continued study of this remarkable cell is needed to develop effective therapeutic options to improve healing outcomes.

Funding

Macrophage Phenotypes and Tissue Repair | Funder: National Institutes of Health (National Institute of General Medical Sciences) | Grant ID: R35GM136228

History

Citation

DiPietro, L. A., Wilgus, T. A.Koh, T. J. (2021). Macrophages in Healing Wounds: Paradoxes and Paradigms. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(2), 950-. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22020950

Publisher

MDPI AG

Language

  • en

issn

1661-6596