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Updated: Dec 25, 2025
Isolation of Macrophage Subsets and Stromal Cells from Human and Mouse Myocardial Specimens
Published on: December 17, 2019
Macrophages: First guards in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases
M I Nasser1, Shuoji Zhu1, Huanlei Huang1
1Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, 106 ZhongshanEr Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510100, China.
Insights
Targeting macrophages offers a promising therapeutic strategy for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This approach aids in reducing inflammation, improving heart repair, and stabilizing plaques, crucial for managing CVD.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cardiology
- Pathology
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a major global cause of mortality.
- Inflammation, particularly atherosclerosis, drives myocardial injury and related pathologies.
- Macrophages are key immune cells involved in cardiovascular health and disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the critical roles of macrophages in cardiovascular disease (CVD) pathogenesis.
- To explore the therapeutic potential of targeting macrophages for CVD prevention and treatment.
- To summarize recent advancements in understanding macrophage involvement in CVD.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent scientific advances.
- Analysis of macrophage functions in myocardial injury and repair.
- Evaluation of therapeutic strategies targeting macrophage pathways.
Main Results:
- Macrophages are vital for clearing dead cells, maintaining heart function, and repairing injury.
- Targeting macrophages can reduce inflammation, inhibit mononuclear cell aggregation, and lower lipid levels.
- Macrophages contribute to tissue remodeling and atherosclerotic plaque stabilization.
Conclusions:
- Targeting macrophages presents a significant therapeutic avenue for cardiovascular diseases.
- Further research is needed to classify macrophage phenotypes and their specific roles in CVD.
- Understanding macrophage dynamics is essential for developing novel CVD treatments.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, especially in developing countries. It is widely known that severe inflammation can lead to atherosclerosis, which can cause various downstream pathologies, including myocardial injury and viral myocarditis. To date, several strategies have been proposed to prevent and cure CVD. The use of targeting macrophages has emerged as one of the most effective therapeutic approaches. Macrophages play a crucial role in eliminating senescent and dead cells while maintaining myocardial electrical activity and repairing myocardial injury. They also contribute to tissue repair and remodeling and plaque stabilization. Targeting macrophage pathways can, therefore, be advantageous in CVD care since it can lead to decreased aggregation of mononuclear cells at the injured site in the heart. Furthermore, it inhibits the development of pro-inflammatory factors, facilitates cholesterol outflow, and reduces the lipid concentration. More in-depth studies are still needed to formulate a comprehensive classification of phenotypes for different macrophages and determine their roles in the pathogenesis of CVD. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the understanding of the role of macrophages in the prevention and cure of CVD.
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