Functional impact of aging on macrophage immune responses in myocardial injury – AgingImmunity

Chronological age is the most important individual risk factor for the development of acute and chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases. However, the effects of aging on innate immune responses in cardiac inflammation and healing are poorly understood. Macrophages are professional phagocytic cells that maintain tissue homeostasis and orchestrate repair processes. Among them, resident macrophages are long-lived cells that self-renew within tissues and thus represent ideal candidates to undergo age-induced changes that could contribute to inflammation and impaired wound healing. While macrophage functions in the cardiovascular system have been investigated in young, less is known about resident macrophages in the aged heart. By combining macrophage fate mapping analysis with deep immunephenotyping in mouse myocardial infarction and heart failure models, we will build a comprehensive picture of macrophage functions in aging and characterize their role during myocardial injury and healing.