Dual and Beneficial Roles of Macrophages During Skeletal Muscle Regeneration

CHAZAUD, B., M. BRIGITTE, H. YACOUB-YOUSSEF, L. ARNOLD, R. GHERARDI, C. SONNET, P. LAFUSTE, and F. CHRETIEN. Dual and beneficial roles of macrophages during skeletal muscle regeneration. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev., Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 18-22, 2009. Macrophages are necessary for skeletal muscle regeneration after injury. Muscle recruits inflammatory monocytes/macrophages that switch toward an anti-inflammatory profile upon phagocytosis of debris. In vitro, proinflammatory macrophages stimulate myoblast proliferation, whereas anti-inflammatory macrophages stimulate their differentiation. Thus, macrophages are involved in both phases of skeletal muscle regeneration: first, inflammation and cleansing of necrosis, and then myogenic differentiation and tissue repair.