Understanding the role of monocytic cells in liver inflammation using parasite infection as a model

Uncontrolled inflammation is a major cause of pathogenicity during chronic parasite infections. Novel therapies should therefore aim at re-establishing the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory signals during disease to avoid tissue damage and ensure survival of the host. In this context, we are intending to identify strategies capable of inducing counter-inflammatory activity in injured liver and thereby increasing the resistance of the host to African trypanosomiasis as a model for parasite infection. Here, recent evidence is summarized revealing how monocytic cells recruited to the liver of African trypanosome-infected mice develop an M1 or M2 activation status, thereby maintaining the capacity of the host to control parasite growth while avoiding the development of liver damage, which otherwise culminates in early death of the host.