Metabolic Implications of Efferocytosis During Inflammation

Every day billions of cells are removed in the human body by apoptosis. These apoptotic cells need to be rapidly and safely removed in order to avoid inflammation. This is ensured by a process called efferocytosis, where professional phagocytes such as macrophages take up apoptotic cells. Efferocytosis not only ensures the safe removal of cellular debris but also endows phagocytes with the capacity to actively contribute to the resolution of inflammation by altering their phenotype. Therefore, actively promoting efferocytosis may contribute to the resolution of auto-inflammatory disease conditions. While the initial steps of the recognition of dying cells by macrophages are well investigated, it is less clear what happens to the ingested material inside the phagocyte and how it influences their pro-resolving properties. In this chapter, we therefore briefly discuss the impact of efferocytosis during inflammation. We focus on the metabolic challenge macrophages face when removing multiple dying cells, e.g., during inflammation, and how the knowledge resulting from understanding the molecular programs that promote corpse digestion might be used in the future to combat inflammatory diseases in humans.