Hepatic Macrophages (HM)

Macrophages are a type of white blood cell that engulfs and digests cellular debris, foreign substances, microbes, cancer cells, and anything else that does not have the types of proteins specific of healthy body cells on its surface in a process called phagocytosis. The main function of macrophages is to remove cellular debris and destroy invading pathogens.

Hepatic macrophages (HM) play a crucial role in the development of liver fibrosis, the underlying mechanisms remain largely elusive. Studies show that promotion of NF-κB-dependent myofibroblast survival by macrophages but not DCs provides a novel link between inflammation and fibrosis.