Myeloid Cells In Health And Liver Disease

Cells of the myeloid lineage display diverse roles and functions both in tissue homeostatic conditions and during the development of liver diseases. Hepatic myeloid cells such asKupffer cells exert immune surveillance while maintaining immune tolerance. This helps to prevent excessive immune stimulation upon encounter with gut-derived antigens from food and commensal microbes, or rapidly identifying and eliminating pathogens. Myeloid cells also exhibit a dual role by contributing to both the initiation and progression of liver diseases. During liver inflammation, myeloid cells secrete cytokines and chemokines that promote chemotaxis and tissue damage. Further down the process they can undergo reprogramming into pro-resolving, anti-inflammatory cells. In extremis, these can lead to loss of liver function and development of fibrosis and cirrhosis. Liver myeloid cells can also dictate the progress of hepatic malignancy by either promoting the infiltration and activation or suppressing the activities of effector and/or cytotoxic T cells.