Intercellular communication of macrophages and hepatocytes and its impact on macrophage differentiation and activation

Introduction: The liver comprises the body's largest pool of macrophages constituting approximately 80% of all sessile tissue macrophages of the body. Thereby macrophages have a remarkable plasticity since their differentiation and function is continuously adapted to the microenvironment, which among others is defined by direct and indirect intercellular communication including communication via cell-cell contact and paracrine acting mediators. Up to now the complex network that determines the differentiation and function of liver macrophages and the impact of the intercellular communication between macrophages…