Modifying Macrophages to Accelerate Healing

The immune cells called macrophages play an important role in the healing of injuries. Their activities appear to be the key to examples of exceptional regeneration in mammals, for example. This may have something to do with their clearance of the transient senescent cells generated during regeneration, or may be related to other signaling processes. Researchers have in previous years shown that adjusting the behavior of macrophages can alter the pace at which wounds heal, and it is hoped that this might be a compensatory approach capable of reducing the loss of regenerative capacity that occurs with aging. Here is a recent example of work that runs along the same lines: It has long been known that macrophages play a key role in the normal wound healing process. These cells specialize in major cellular clean-up processes and are essential for tissue repair; they accelerate healing while maintaining a balance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory reactions. "When a wound doesn't heal, it might be secondary to enhanced inflammation and not enough anti-inflammatory activity. We discovered that macrophage behaviour can be controlled so as to tip the balance toward cell repair by means of a special protein called Milk Fat Globule Epidermal Growth Factor-8, or MFG-E8." The researchers showed that when there is a skin lesion, MFG-E8 calls for an anti-inflammatory and pro-reparatory reaction in the macrophages. Without this protein, the lesions heal much more slo...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs