Monocyte Population Differences with Age Following Bone Fracture

The innate immune system is involved in tissue maintenance and regeneration. That includes populations of monocytes, circulating innate immune cells in the bloodstream that enter damaged tissue to become macrophages. Monocytes are somewhat easier to catalog and study than is the case for macrophages. The former can be found in a blood sample, while the latter require a tissue sample. Researchers tend to follow the incentives attending the cost and availability of data, and thus we have examples like today's open access paper, in which the authors focus on circulating monocytes in the context of bone fracture. You might read this paper as a companion piece to a recent investigation of the bad behavior of macrophages in aged bone, and their tendency to do more harm than good following injury. How much of this altered macrophage behavior can be traced back to differences in circulating monocyte populations? No doubt at least some researchers will be looking into this question in the years ahead. Manipulation of innate immune cell state is a growing area of interest for the research community, and while not straightforward, there is the promise of being able to better control tissue maintenance, regeneration, and inflammation. Monocyte alteration in elderly hip fracture healing: monocyte promising role in bone regeneration One of the body systems profoundly affected by aging is the skeletal system, giving rise to conditions such as osteoporosis and osteoart...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs