Tag

Macrophages

All articles tagged with #macrophages

health11 days ago•3 min saved

Pittsburgh study reveals inhaled microplastics cripple lung immune cells and spread to major organs

A University of Pittsburgh study presented at the 2025 American Thoracic Society International Conference shows that inhaled microplastics impair lung macrophages within 24 hours, reducing their ability to absorb bacteria. The particles also migrate to the liver, spleen, colon, brain, and kidneys within a week. Researchers found that acadesine, a leukemia drug, can partially restore macrophage function, offering a potential therapeutic avenue while long-term immune disruption risks remain.

via Futura, le média qui explore le monde|

#acadesine #health #immune-system

science28 days ago•41 min saved

Immune Switch Could Slow Aging, Study Suggests

A Science study links aging to tissue-resident macrophages that accumulate the EP2 receptor, which hampers clearance of senescent neutrophils and fuels chronic inflammation. In mice lacking EP2, many aging-related blood proteins stayed younger, with notable improvements tied to the liver, suggesting EP2 as a potential target to slow aging. However, targeting EP2 without disrupting prostaglandin E2’s other roles is challenging, so researchers stress the need for approaches that preserve other functions while slowing aging.

via Yahoo News Canada|

#aging #ep2-receptor #immune-system

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Blocking EP2 Receptor Rejuvenates Aging Mice by Restoring Immune Cleanup

A Stanford-led mouse study links aging-related decline to reduced clearance of senescent neutrophils by tissue-resident macrophages (TRMs) due to heightened EP2 signaling. Blocking EP2 signaling in old mice restored youthful TRM function, tempered inflammation, and improved memory, frailty, muscle, and heart. Analysis of 71 proteins showed many shifts toward youthful levels and pointed to the liver as a major contributor. Reanalysis of human liver and heart data showed similar patterns, suggesting EP2-targeted therapies might help aging, though no approved drugs exist and translation to humans remains uncertain.

via ScienceAlert|

#aging #ep2-receptor #liver

immunology1 month ago•101 min saved

Inflammation reveals functional chimeric mRNAs that regulate immunity

A Nature study shows that inflammation drives the production of functional chimeric RNAs formed by trans-splicing between distant genes in macrophages. The standout Gsdmd-Tmem106a transcript encodes a membrane-associated fusion protein that binds GSDMD-NT to accelerate pore formation, amplifying IL-1β release and pyroptosis to boost antibacterial defense but also worsen sepsis. In vivo, loss of GSDMD–TMEM106A reduces early cytokine release and sepsis severity, while delivering GSDMD–TMEM106A mRNA enhances bacterial clearance against Salmonella but increases septic risk. The work reveals a regulated, inflammation-responsive layer of transcript and protein diversity that expands the mammalian proteome and presents new therapeutic avenues through RNA-based interventions.

via Nature|

#chimeric-rna #gasdermin-d #immunology

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Obesity Leaves a Lasting Imprint in Fat-Cell Immune Cells, Slowing Weight Loss

A Science Translational Medicine study in mice shows obesity induces persistent changes in adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) via altered mRNA splicing, creating an “obesity memory” that remains after weight loss and hinders fat breakdown. Reduced nuclear CWC22 splicing editor activity correlates with lasting gene-splicing changes, and altered Scarb1 impairs efferocytosis, leading to more dead cells and lower inosine, which dampens lipolysis. While largely based on animal data with some human cell validation, the findings suggest that targeting RNA splicing could be a future strategy to counteract obesity memory, though effective therapies are not yet available.

via ScienceAlert|

#adipose-tissue #alternative-splicing #macrophages

health2 months ago•38 min saved

Inflammation: the immune system's life-sustaining spark that can drive disease

A New York Times Magazine piece explains that chronic low-grade inflammation is a key driver of aging-related illnesses (cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s) and is not a single disease but a complex web of immune activity centered on macrophages. The concept of inflammaging describes how aging immune cells become less efficient, potentially paving the way for disease; anti-inflammatory therapies show promise but carry risks (e.g., infection). GLP-1 drugs used for diabetes and weight loss appear to reduce systemic inflammation and improve various conditions, while new real‑time inflammation monitors could let people track and manage inflammatory risk. The takeaway is that prevention (diet, exercise, sleep) remains vital, and scientists aim to integrate multi-system data to better understand and treat chronic inflammation without compromising immunity.

via The New York Times|

#aging #glp-1 #health

science3 months ago•13 min saved

Tattoo Pigment Travels to Lymph Nodes, Prolonging Inflammation in Mice

A mouse study published in PNAS shows tattoo pigment quickly reaches draining lymph nodes within hours, is taken up by macrophages but not cleared, and sustains inflammatory signals for at least two months. When vaccines were administered into tattooed tissue, the mice exhibited a weaker antibody response, a pattern echoed in cultured human cells, though this is not a conclusion about humans and requires validation through trials.

via Space Daily|

#inflammation #lymph-nodes #macrophages

science3 months ago•6 min saved

Engineered Immune Progenitors Enable Scalable CAR-M Cancer Therapy

Researchers engineered macrophage progenitor cells to self-renew and differentiate into macrophages for CAR-M therapy. Using GMPs, they produced a persistent immune cell supply that spread through the body in mice and slowed both blood cancers and solid tumors, offering a scalable alternative to CAR-T for broader cancer immunotherapy.

via ScienceAlert|

#cancer #car-m #granulocyte-monocyte-progenitors

health-and-medicine3 months ago•8 min saved

Engineered immune progenitors offer endless supply of cancer-fighting cells

USC researchers developed a stem-cell–inspired method to expand granulocyte-monocyte progenitors (GMPs), enabling long-term self-renewal and genetic engineering to produce macrophages that can target cancer. Engineered GMPs carrying a CAR and an additional immune-activating signal demonstrated tumor-fighting activity and sustained production of immune cells in mice, suggesting a scalable, off-the-shelf cellular immunotherapy with potential applications beyond cancer.

via ScienceDaily|

#car #granulocyte-monocyte-progenitors #health-and-medicine

science3 months ago•7 min saved

Low-Intensity Ultrasound Reprograms Immune Cells to Halt Joint Inflammation

Researchers at the University of Alabama in Huntsville report that continuous low‑intensity ultrasound can shift macrophages from a pro‑inflammatory M1 state to a reparative M2‑like state, lowering inflammation and promoting tissue repair after joint injury. This non‑invasive approach could help prevent post‑traumatic osteoarthritis, with findings based on a fibronectin fragment injury model and transcriptomic analysis; however, the work is laboratory‑stage and requires animal validation before clinical use.

via SciTechDaily|

#arthritis #inflammation #macrophages

science3 months ago•60 min saved

Single-cell atlas maps Crohn’s disease drivers in ileal tissue

Researchers generated IBDverse, a 1.1‑million‑cell scRNA‑seq atlas of terminal ileal biopsies from 111 Crohn’s disease patients and 232 controls, using discovery and replication cohorts to identify robust cell-type signatures. They map 57 cell clusters across epithelial, immune and mesenchymal compartments, find IFN‑driven MHC‑I upregulation in epithelial cells (persisting in progenitors after inflammation resolves), and identify ITGA4+ macrophages as key inflammatory drivers with enriched JAK–STAT signaling and IL‑6/IL‑12/IL‑23 production. Heritability analyses link inflammatory monocytes and macrophages to CD risk, outlining a cellular–molecular framework with therapeutic implications; data and code are publicly available.

via Nature|

#crohns-disease #epithelial-cells #jak-stat-signaling

science4 months ago•7 min saved

Titanium Particles Trigger Immune Chaos in Dental Implant Infections

Rutgers researchers reveal that corrosion of titanium dental implants releases nano-particles that attract a bacterial toxin and are engulfed by macrophages, locking them in a hyperinflammatory state that impairs bacterial clearance and drives bone loss; the effect is mediated by the TRPC1 calcium channel, and mice lacking TRPC1 showed reduced disease, pointing to a new drug target for peri-implantitis. The study, published in PNAS Nexus, also emphasizes nonabrasive cleaning methods and regular maintenance to lower risk, and could lead to therapies for up to one in five implant recipients, a multibillion-dollar annual issue.

via SciTechDaily|

#bone-loss #macrophages #peri-implantitis

science4 months ago•5 min saved

Liver-Based Quantum Compass May Guide Pigeons Home

German researchers provide evidence that iron-rich macrophages in pigeons' livers may possess superparamagnetism and act as a liver-based quantum compass to help navigation, particularly when the Sun is obscured; experiments using clodronate to wipe these immune cells disrupted homing on overcast days, while normal navigation returned under sunny conditions, implying a liver-to-brain signaling pathway.

via ScienceAlert|

#liver #macrophages #navigation

biology4 months ago•8 min saved

Ancient Bloodline Traced Back 700 Million Years

A Kyoto University study suggests modern blood and immune cells arose about 700 million years ago alongside the first multicellular animals, showing that macrophage-like cells and key immune pathways trace to unicellular ancestors; the gene FOS and other developmental pathways appear inherited from those ancient microbes, offering a shared biological legacy across vertebrates and potential insights into disease origins.

via SciTechDaily|

#biology #blood-cells #evolution

science4 months ago•4 min saved

Pigeons use liver macrophages as a magnetic compass

German researchers found iron-rich macrophages in pigeons’ liver detect Earth’s magnetic field and guide navigation; removing these cells disrupts the birds’ sense of direction in cloudy weather, while they can still use the sun on clear days, providing a physical basis for geomagnetic sensing and suggesting multiple cues may guide long-distance navigation.

via Financial Times|

#birds #ferritin #geomagnetism