It is all about fluidity: Fatty acids and macrophage phagocytosis

Phagocytosis is an early and fundamental step for the effective clearance of disease causing agents. The ability to engulf and kill pathogens is considered as a major effector function of macrophages. In their phagocytic role macrophages are part of the first line of innate immune defense. A number of studies investigating fatty acid effects on macrophage phagocytosis have been conducted over many years. In vitro-data consistently report that alterations in macrophage membrane fatty acid composition are linked to an altered phagocytic capacity, i.e. an increase in membrane unsaturated fatty acid content is associated with an increase in engulfment and killing rate. The mode of action of fatty acids seems to be the modulation of the physical nature of the macrophage plasma membrane. It appears that the saturated-to-unsaturated fatty acid ratio of macrophage membrane phospholipids is of importance in determining macrophage phagocytic capacity. Available in vivo-data are less clear. At present, there is a lack of systematic studies elucidating key factors such as fatty acid efficacy, effective dose or dosing intervals. Without this knowledge the targeted modulation of macrophage phagocytosis in vivo by fatty acids is still a distant possibility.