1 Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2013 Dec;10 Suppl:S180-5. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201305-123AW.
The observation that macrophages are increased in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and are associated with COPD severity has led to a large number of studies on macrophage function in COPD. These studies have provided evidence that these cells contribute to tissue injury through the release of various mediators, including proteases such as matrix metalloprotease-12. In addition, it was found that macrophages in COPD have an impaired ability to clear respiratory pathogens and apoptotic cells. Macrophage phagocytic function in COPD can be restored at least in part, as shown by in vitro studies. In a search to further understand this altered function of macrophages in COPD, several studies have used a range of markers to phenotype macrophages in COPD. Macrophages constitute a heterogeneous cell population, and, currently, proinflammatory M1 and anti-inflammatory M2 and M2-like cells are considered to represent the extremes of a pattern of macrophage polarization. In COPD, there is no clear evidence for a predominance of one of these phenotypes, and an intermediate phenotype may be present. Future studies are needed to establish the nature of this apparent COPD-specific macrophage subset, and to link macrophage dysfunction to COPD phenotypes.
巨噬细胞在慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）中增加，并与 COPD 的严重程度相关，这一观察结果促使人们对 COPD 中巨噬细胞功能进行了大量研究。这些研究提供了证据表明，这些细胞通过释放各种介质，包括基质金属蛋白酶-12 等蛋白酶，导致组织损伤。此外，还发现 COPD 中的巨噬细胞清除呼吸道病原体和凋亡细胞的能力受损。体外研究表明，至少在一定程度上可以恢复 COPD 中巨噬细胞的吞噬功能。为了进一步了解 COPD 中巨噬细胞功能的这种改变，一些研究使用了一系列标志物来表型 COPD 中的巨噬细胞。巨噬细胞构成了一个异质细胞群体，目前，促炎 M1 和抗炎 M2 和 M2 样细胞被认为代表了巨噬细胞极化模式的极端。在 COPD 中，没有明确证据表明其中一种表型占主导地位，可能存在中间表型。未来的研究需要确定这种 COPD 特异性巨噬细胞亚群的性质，并将巨噬细胞功能障碍与 COPD 表型联系起来。
