Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2019, Vol. 14 ›› Issue (8): 1335-1342.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.253510

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Role of macrophages in peripheral nerve injury and repair

Ping Liu 1, 2 , Jiang Peng 2 , Gong-Hai Han 3 , Xiao Ding 4 , Shuai Wei 4 , Gang Gao 5 , Kun Huang 6 , Feng Chang 5 , Yu Wang 2   

  1. 1 Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
    2 Institute of Orthopedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
    3 Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
    4 Shihezi University Medical College, Shihezi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
    5 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
    6 Anhui Medical University Air Force Clinical College, Hefei, Anhui Province, China
  • Online:2019-08-15 Published:2019-08-15
  • Contact: Feng Chang, BS, cfmedmail@163.com; Yu Wang, PhD, wangwangdian628@126.com.
  • Supported by:

    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 31771052 (to YW); the National Key Research & Development Program of China, No. 2017YFA0104701, 2017YFA0104702 and 2016YFC1101601; the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program), No. 2014CB542201 (to JP); the Natural Science Foundation of Beijing, No. 7172202 (to YW); and the PLA Youth Training Project for Medical Science, No. 16QNP144 (to YW).

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Abstract:

Resident and inflammatory macrophages are essential effectors of the innate immune system. These cells provide innate immune defenses and regulate tissue and organ homeostasis. In addition to their roles in diseases such as cancer, obesity and osteoarthritis, they play vital roles in tissue repair and disease rehabil¬itation. Macrophages and other inflammatory cells are recruited to tissue injury sites where they promote changes in the microenvironment. Among the inflammatory cell types, only macrophages have both pro-inflammatory (M1) and anti-inflammatory (M2) actions, and M2 macrophages have four subtypes. The co-action of M1 and M2 subtypes can create a favorable microenvironment, releasing cytokines for damaged tissue repair. In this review, we discuss the activation of macrophages and their roles in severe pe¬ripheral nerve injury. We also describe the therapeutic potential of macrophages in nerve tissue engineering treatment and highlight approaches for enhancing M2 cell-mediated nerve repair and regeneration.

Key words: nerve regeneration, macrophage, origin, polarization, function, nerve injury, nerve repair, tissue engineering, neural regeneration