Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Importantly, the excessive inflammatory response, primarily mediated by macrophages, is considered as an essential amplifier of cardiovascular injury. Macrophages are among the most functionally diverse immune cell types under both physiological and pathological conditions, making them the potential targets for diagnostics and therapy. During ischemic and non-ischemic cardiac remodeling, macrophages are mainly assumed as a pro-inflammatory phenotype, in which the increased circulating pro-inflammatory monocytes and macrophage-derived cytokines correlate with worse clinical outcomes. On the other hand, macrophages account for the remarkable regenerative capacity of the mammalian heart after injury. However, nonselective depletion of macrophages in adult mice limits cardiac repair through massive inflammatory tissue damage and impaired scar formation after ischemia. Moreover, recent studies show that cardiac stem cell therapy's functional benefit is due to an acute macrophage-based wound healing response that rejuvenates the infarcted area of the heart. In addition to the reparative role, cardiac resident macrophages also facilitate electrical conduction through the distal atrioventricular node, where conducting cells densely intersperse with elongated macrophages expressing Connexin-43. Resident macrophages may exert a protective role in doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy, partly through a pattern recognition receptor dependent mechanism. Despite these research progresses, we still have an incomplete understanding of the macrophage heterogeneity and key pathways involved in cardiovascular diseases. Thus, it’s essential to investigate the role of macrophages in cardiovascular diseases.
The goal of this research topic is to delineate macrophages’ heterogeneity, key regulatory transcription factors, and pathways in steady-state and diseased cardiovascular microenvironment, as well as to explore innovative macrophage-based pharmacological interventions in curing cardiovascular diseases. We welcome submissions of Original Research and Reviews on the following sub-topics:
• Pathophysiological role of macrophages in modulating the development, homeostasis, and disease of cardiac and vasculature system
• Macrophage heterogeneity in cardiovascular microenvironment
• The use of lineage tracing model in cardiovascular diseases
• Immunomodulatory treatments based on macrophages in cardiovascular diseases
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Importantly, the excessive inflammatory response, primarily mediated by macrophages, is considered as an essential amplifier of cardiovascular injury. Macrophages are among the most functionally diverse immune cell types under both physiological and pathological conditions, making them the potential targets for diagnostics and therapy. During ischemic and non-ischemic cardiac remodeling, macrophages are mainly assumed as a pro-inflammatory phenotype, in which the increased circulating pro-inflammatory monocytes and macrophage-derived cytokines correlate with worse clinical outcomes. On the other hand, macrophages account for the remarkable regenerative capacity of the mammalian heart after injury. However, nonselective depletion of macrophages in adult mice limits cardiac repair through massive inflammatory tissue damage and impaired scar formation after ischemia. Moreover, recent studies show that cardiac stem cell therapy's functional benefit is due to an acute macrophage-based wound healing response that rejuvenates the infarcted area of the heart. In addition to the reparative role, cardiac resident macrophages also facilitate electrical conduction through the distal atrioventricular node, where conducting cells densely intersperse with elongated macrophages expressing Connexin-43. Resident macrophages may exert a protective role in doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy, partly through a pattern recognition receptor dependent mechanism. Despite these research progresses, we still have an incomplete understanding of the macrophage heterogeneity and key pathways involved in cardiovascular diseases. Thus, it’s essential to investigate the role of macrophages in cardiovascular diseases.
The goal of this research topic is to delineate macrophages’ heterogeneity, key regulatory transcription factors, and pathways in steady-state and diseased cardiovascular microenvironment, as well as to explore innovative macrophage-based pharmacological interventions in curing cardiovascular diseases. We welcome submissions of Original Research and Reviews on the following sub-topics:
• Pathophysiological role of macrophages in modulating the development, homeostasis, and disease of cardiac and vasculature system
• Macrophage heterogeneity in cardiovascular microenvironment
• The use of lineage tracing model in cardiovascular diseases
• Immunomodulatory treatments based on macrophages in cardiovascular diseases