Smoking and Macrophages

  • Characteristics
    • shown to exhibit plasticity and can change their phenotype depending on the local environment
A “smoker’s macrophage”, with yellow to light brown and finely granular cytoplasmic pigment.
Courtesy Wiki
web lungs 437

Types

  • M1 pro-inflammatory
    • involved direct destruction of intracellular pathogens, and produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, as well as a T helper 1 (Th1)-cell environment
  • M2 ant-inflammatory
    • more heterogeneous group involved in
      • down-regulating inflammation or pro-resolution and tissue repair, producing a Th2 environment.
    • Further Subcategorization
      • M2a (parasite destruction)
      • M2b (immune regulation) and
      • M2c (tissue remodelling and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition).18
  • Resident alveolar macrophage (AMs)
    • reside within the airway and alveoli
    • maintain their population
      • by proliferation in situ rather than having a reliance on the macrophage precursors in the blood.7 8
  • Interstitial Macrophages
    • located between alveolar epithelial cells
  • Non resident Macrophages
Langerhans Dendritic Macrophage
Ashley Davidoff MD
TheCommonVein.net

Many of the functions of the alveolar macrophage have been shown to be dysregulated following exposure to cigarette smoke.

Mechanisms for disease in cigarette smoke exposure of alveolar macrophages. IL, interleukin; MMP, matrix metalloproteinase; ROS, reactive oxygen species.
Lugg, SL et al Cigarette smoke exposure and alveolar macrophages: mechanisms for lung disease BMJ Thorax

 

 

  1. Lugg, SL et al Cigarette smoke exposure and alveolar macrophages: mechanisms for lung disease BMJ Thorax