Autophagy & Phagocytosis in Neurological Disorders and their Possible Cross-talk

Autophagy and phagocytosis are two important endogenous lysosomal dependent clearing systems in the organism. In some neurological disorders, excessive autophagy or dysfunctional phagocytosis has been shown to contribute to brain injury. Recent studies have revealed that there are underlying interactions between these two processes. However, different studies show inconsistent results for the contribution of autophagy to the phagocytic process in diverse phagocytes and relatively little is known about the link between them especially in the brain. It is critical to understand the role that autophagy plays in phagocytic process in order to promote the clearance of endogenous and exogenous detrimental materials. In this review, we highlight the studies focusing on phagocytosis and autophagy occurring in the brain and summarizing the possible regulatory roles of autophagy in the process of phagocytosis. Balancing the roles of autophagy and phagocytosis may be a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of some neurological diseases in the future.