AUTHOR=Yan Mi , Tang Jia , Liu Yanfei , Hu Zhangxue 

TITLE=Progress of alveolar macrophages in biological function and acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1683411

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2025.1683411

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=Alveolar macrophages (AMs), a type of immune cell, display remarkable plasticity and manifest diverse responses to stimuli by differentiating into distinct subgroups. These phenotypically distinct macrophage subtypes are primarily categorized as either classically activated or inflammatory (M1) macrophages, or alternatively activated or anti-inflammatory (M2) macrophages, the differentiation of which is underpinned by a complex regulatory network. Despite their crucial contribution to the pathobiology of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS), the research on AMs is currently limited. This study therefore aims to establish a comprehensive theoretical framework delineating the pathogenic role of AMs in ALI/ARDS, facilitating deeper mechanistic understanding of disease initiation and progression in ALI/ARDS and ultimately identifying novel therapeutic targets.