Surface morphology and functional studies of human alveolar macrophages from cigarette smokers and nonsmokers

The surface of macrophages inhabiting the peritoneal and alveolar spaces is pleomorphic in structure. The internal structure of these cells has been widely described and is not discussed here. Although external cell morphology has been well characterized by many researchers, this subject has not been reviewed. This review, therefore, describes in detail the surface features of macrophages as well as factors affecting macrophage morphology. Morphological studies of human cells are emphasized. Functional studies are presented and, when possible, morphological parameters are correlated with cell function. Because cigarette smoking has been well studied, the effects of this pulmonary insult are described in detail.