ReviewMacrophages and regeneration: Lessons from the heart

- The adult heart has limited regenerative capacity.
- Macrophages control inflammation and possess regenerative and reparative properties.
- Macrophages are implicated in myocardial regeneration in neonatal heart.
- Understanding the role of macrophages in myocardial regeneration will help us to develop new therapies.

One of the most ambitious goals in modern cardiology is to regenerate the injured myocardium. The human myocardium has poor regenerative power. Thus, significant myocardial injury results in irreversible damage, scar formation, remodeling, and dysfunction. The search for therapies that will improve myocardial regeneration needs a better understanding of the mechanisms of repair and regeneration. While the role of macrophages in inflammation, scar formation, and fibrosis are well defined, their role in myocardial regeneration is less clear. Recent reports have suggested that cardiac macrophages regulate myocardial regeneration in neonatal mice. The present review aims to describe the latest discoveries about the possible role of macrophages in myocardial regeneration. We discuss the promises and difficulties to translate the latest findings into new therapies.