Macrophages in Vascular Inflammation: Origins and Functions

Macrophages influence various processes of cardiovascular inflammation. Whether they are of embryonic or post-natal hematopoietic origin, their balance in differential activation may direct the course of inflammation. Accelerated macrophage activation and accumulation through a pro-inflammatory signaling pathway may result in extensive tissue damage, adverse repair, and worsened clinical outcomes. Attenuation of such a mechanism and/or promotion of the anti-inflammatory macrophage activation may lead to early resolution of inflammation. Elucidating multiple novel mechanisms of monocyte and macrophage activation leads to a better understanding of their roles in vascular inflammation. In turn, this begets better therapeutic target identification and biomarker discovery. Combined with increasingly sensitive and specific imaging techniques, we continue to push back early detection and monitoring to provide us with a greater window for disease modification. The potential success of cytokine-targeted therapy will be solid proof of the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis.