Granulomatous inflammation--a review.

Abstract

SUMMARY The granulomatous inflammatory response is a special type of chronic inflammation characterised by often focal collections of macrophages, epithelioid cells and multinucleated giant cells. In this review the characteristics of these cells of the mononuclear phagocyte series are considered, with particular reference to the properties of epithelioid cells and the formation of multinucleated giant cells. The initiation and development of granulomatous inflammation is discussed, stressing the importance of persistence of the inciting agent and the complex role of the immune system, not only in the perpetuation of the granulomatous response but also in the development of necrosis and fibrosis.

Immunity and Immunopathology in the Tuberculous Granuloma

“…These structures are not simple macrophage aggregates, but bona fide granulomas as evidenced by two featuresfirst, the participating macrophages undergo the cardinal "epithelioid" transformation described for mature tuberculous granulomas in humans and mammalian animal models (Spector 1969;Adams 1976;Williams and Williams 1983;Bouley et al 2001;Ramakrishnan 2012), and second, these structures induce the expression of mycobacterial granuloma-activated genes that are expressed in the mature granulomas of adult frogs but not in axenic cultures or in cultured macrophages (Ramakrishnan et al 2000;Davis et al 2002). Indeed, within the same larvae, these genes are not activated when the bacteria infect individual macrophages, but only when they participate in granuloma formation (Davis et al 2002).…”

Histoarchitecture of schistosomal granuloma development and involution: morphogenetic and biomechanical approaches

“…Some of these definitions, as well as the classification and pathogenesis of granulomas, have been discussed in reviews by Adams (1976Adams ( , 1983, Warren (1976), Epstein (1977), Boros (1978), Williams and Williams (1983), Hirsh and Johnson (1984), De Britto and Franco (1994) and Mariano (1995). Most of them stress the etiology, or the main cellular component, or the participation or not of the immune system, or the differences in terms of the relative number of the new macrophages entering the granuloma (low and high turnover granulomas), or the participation or not of tissue injury.…”

Chemokine Expression Dynamics in Mycobacterial (Type-1) and Schistosomal (Type-2) Antigen-Elicited Pulmonary Granuloma Formation

“…Granuloma macrophages and lymphocytes are heterogeneous and change constantly throughout time with each producing a myriad of secretory products. 2,3 CKs are beginning to be recognized as one important group of mediators of granuloma formation. 4 The present study monitored the expression of 24 CKs throughout an 8-day study period in lungs with granulomas induced by agarose bead-immobilized Mycobacteria bovis purified protein derivative (PPD) or Schistosoma mansoni egg antigens (SEA).…”