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Updated: Aug 28, 2025
Isolation of Macrophage Subsets and Stromal Cells from Human and Mouse Myocardial Specimens
Published on: December 17, 2019
Resident cardiac macrophages: Heterogeneity and function in health and disease
1Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada; Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Insights
Cardiac macrophages are complex but vital for heart health and disease. This review clarifies their diverse roles and origins in the myocardium, aiding future research.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Biology
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Macrophage identification and function in tissues are increasingly complex.
- Macrophages play critical roles in cardiac health and disease.
- Heart disease is a leading global cause of mortality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in understanding resident cardiac macrophage biology.
- To focus on macrophage heterogeneity, origins, and functions in the myocardium.
- To stratify macrophage functions based on direct and indirect influence on cardiac physiology.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent progress in cardiac macrophage research.
- Analysis of studies on macrophage heterogeneity and origins.
- Categorization of macrophage functions based on cellular interactions.
Main Results:
- Resident cardiac macrophages exhibit significant heterogeneity.
- Macrophages have distinct origins and functions at steady state and post-injury.
- Cardiac macrophage functions can be direct or indirect, involving intercellular communication.
Conclusions:
- Understanding cardiac macrophage subsets is crucial for addressing heart disease.
- Macrophages influence cardiac physiology directly and indirectly through complex signaling.
- Further research into cardiac macrophage biology is essential for therapeutic strategies.
Abstract:
Understanding tissue macrophage biology has become challenging in recent years due the ever-increasing complexity in macrophage-subset identification and functional characterization. This is particularly important within the myocardium, as we have come to understand that macrophages play multifaceted roles in cardiac health and disease, and heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Here, we review recent progress in the field, focusing on resident cardiac macrophage heterogeneity, origins, and functions at steady state and after injury. We stratify resident cardiac macrophage functions by the ability of macrophages to either directly influence cardiac physiology or indirectly influence cardiac physiology through orchestrating multi-cellular communication with cardiomyocytes and stromal and immune populations.
