Division of Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Providence, RI 02905, USA.
Department of Hematology and Oncology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA.
Biol Reprod. 2021 Mar 11;104(3):527-538. doi: 10.1093/biolre/ioaa219.
Macrophages are the most abundant immune cells in the ovary. In addition to their roles in the innate immune system, these heterogeneous tissue-resident cells are responsive to tissue-derived signals, adapt to their local tissue environment, and specialize in unique functions to maintain tissue homeostasis. Research in the past decades has established a strong link between macrophages and various aspects of ovarian physiology, indicating a pivotal role of macrophages in ovarian health. However, unlike other intensively studied organs, the knowledge of ovarian macrophages dates back to the time when the heterogeneity of ontogeny, phenotype, and function of macrophages was not fully understood. In this review, we discuss the evolving understanding of the biology of ovarian tissue-resident macrophages, highlight their regulatory roles in normal ovarian functions, review the association between certain ovarian pathologies and disturbed macrophage homeostasis, and finally, discuss the technologies that are essential for addressing key questions in the field.
巨噬细胞是卵巢中最丰富的免疫细胞。除了在先天免疫系统中的作用外，这些异质性组织驻留细胞对组织来源的信号有反应，适应其局部组织环境，并专门从事独特的功能以维持组织内稳态。在过去几十年的研究中，已经在巨噬细胞和卵巢生理学的各个方面之间建立了牢固的联系，表明巨噬细胞在卵巢健康中起着关键作用。然而，与其他深入研究的器官不同，对卵巢巨噬细胞的认识可以追溯到当时巨噬细胞的个体发生、表型和功能的异质性尚未完全理解的时候。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了对卵巢组织驻留巨噬细胞生物学的不断发展的认识，强调了它们在正常卵巢功能中的调节作用，回顾了某些卵巢病理与巨噬细胞动态平衡紊乱之间的关联，最后讨论了解决该领域关键问题所必需的技术。
