Alveolar Macrophage Programming Following Endotoxin Exposure

The histologic hallmarks of lung inflammation include accumulation of inflammatory cells in the airspaces and interstitium, injury to alveolar epithelial and endothelial cells, loss of epithelial-capillary integrity and accumulation of edema fluid in the interstitium and airspaces. Accordingly, for alveolar repair to occur inflammation must be halted, debris and inflammatory cells removed, injured tissue cells replaced, and capillary barrier function re-established. Macrophages are key players in all of these. Here the investigators hypothesize that resident alveolar macrophages and recruited macrophages serve completely different functions, acting independently (i.e. division of labor) yet cooperatively (synergism).