What are alveolar macrophages?
alveolar macrophages are cells found in the lungs that are part of the immune system. Macrophages are phagocytes, which means they are able to take and spend dead or damaged cells and potentially harmful substances such as bacteria or toxic particles. Unlike other macrophages, alveolar macrophages are directly exposed to the environment outside the body, due to their location on the lung lung. There they help prevent infections by removing microorganisms before entering the respiratory circulation. It also cleans allergic and toxic substances from air areas in the lungs. Alveolar macrophages are able to deal with a small number of bacteria and viruses that are commonly exhaled every day. They absorb microorganisms and destroy them and also eliminate the substances on the microbes. If a larger number of microorganisms attack air space, alveolar macrophages are able to produce substances that cause inflammatory response and attract other immune cells into the lungs.
as well as the initiation of inflammation to combat the disease is also a human alveolar macrophage to deal with this inflammation. The alveolar cell line of macrophages can produce different types of alveolar macrophage, referred to as M1 and M2 cells that are assumed to have contradictory functions. M1 is a cell that more concerns inflammation, while M2 has a more anti -inflammatory effect. Different situations can lead to a greater or less number of each type of cell.
During the solution of infection, the inflammatory response to white blood cells known as neutrophils that die and collect inside the lung air spaces. The cellular of these neutrophils could be harmful if they escaped. As part of their anti -inflammatory functions, alveolar macrophages are able to clean dead neutrophils before they degrade and release their content into the lungs.
When people develop pneumococcal pneumonia, inflammatory and anti -inflammatory effects of alveolar macrophages come into play. HugeThe inflammatory reaction leads to the air spaces of the lungs, which are filled with liquid and neutrophils, but thanks to the action of alveolar macrophages, these spaces are cleaned again without lung injury. Pneumococcal pneumonia can be treated with antibiotics or can be prevented by vaccine.