Proper burial of dead cells limits inflammation
If dead cells accumulate in the body, they can contribute to inflammation and predispose individuals to multiple chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, Crohn's disease or lupus by uncharacterized pathways.
"Billions of cells die daily as a consequence of regular wear and tear, tissue turnover and during an inflammatory response. The body dedicates a significant amount of energy in the specific recognition and uptake of these dead cells via specific pathways," said Juhi Bagaitkar, Ph.D., a researcher in the University of Louisville School of Dentistry's Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases. "If you don't bury the dead cells, they can burst open and cause harm, however the underlying mechanisms are incompletely characterized."
The presence of ROS is critical as its generation drives additional mechanisms involved in the digestion of cellular corpses to perform at an optimal level. This allows the macrophage to complete the digestion process of efferocytosis, meaning "to bury the dead."
Juhi Bagaitkar, Jing Huang, Melody Yue Zeng, Nancy K. Pech, Darlene A. Monlish, Lizet J. Perez-Zapata, Irina Miralda, Laura G. Schuettpelz and Mary C. Dinauer. NADPH oxidase activation regulates apoptotic neutrophil clearance by murine macrophages. Blood, 2018 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2017-09-809004
Image of macrophage digesting apoptotic, or dead cell.Credit: UofL