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Macrophages

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Immunology of the Skin

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Abstract

Macrophages strategically adopt a variety of functional phenotypes in response to local microenvironmental factors and perform important immune surveillance activities, including phagocytosis, antigen presentation, and immune suppression. In contrast to circulating macrophages that are homogeneous, tissue-resident macrophages are heterogeneous for the purpose of tissue-specific and microanatomical niche-specific functions. Macrophages have a variety of fundamental roles in biology, from homeostasis and tissue repair to regulation of immune systems. During the early phase of inflammation, macrophages exert proinflammatory functions such as antigen presentation, phagocytosis, and the production of inflammatory cytokines, and they produce growth factors that facilitate the resolution of inflammation in the later phase. Persistence of macrophage activation and polarization is often observed in chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis and may be involved in the disease pathogenesis. This chapter summarizes current knowledge of functional macrophage subsets in wound healing and atopic dermatitis, thereby providing more insights into macrophage function and possible interventions in this process. Finally, we briefly discuss the recently reported function and characterization of macrophage heterogeneity in humans.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan

    Sho Hanakawa M.S. & Akihiko Kitoh M.D., Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Sho Hanakawa M.S.
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  2. Akihiko Kitoh M.D., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Akihiko Kitoh M.D., Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Kyoto University Grad Sch of Med., Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan

    Kenji Kabashima

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Hanakawa, S., Kitoh, A. (2016). Macrophages. In: Kabashima, K. (eds) Immunology of the Skin. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55855-2_10

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