Macrophages and Host Defense: Induction of Antimicrobial Effector Reactions of Activated Macrophages

摘要

The immune system functions both as a migratory sensory organ to detect alterations in tissue integrity, and as an amplification system to efficiently mobilize cells that can reassert homeostatic balance for protection of tissues against invasion by outside agents (microorganisms) or destruction from within (unregulated cell division). The complex interactions that occur between cells and humoral factors during immune reactions precludes the isolation of any of these individual participants for a discussion of host defense. Nonetheless, the ubiquitous presence of macrophages in tissues, their participation in both the afferent and efferent phases of immunity, strongly suggests that macrophages play a pivotal role in these protective responses. Keywords: Leishmania.