(Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP, File)In Covid-19 and many other disease caused by virus attacks, immune cells in the lungs can contribute to worsening the attack. The study looked at what happens to certain immune cells, called macrophages, during a virus attack. But under certain conditions, lung macrophages can also contribute to severe lung diseases, such as COPD and Covid-19. The Karolinska Institutet researchers have used a model to study the development of lung macrophages directly in a living lung. In an infection with the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, researchers believe that protective, anti-inflammatory macrophages are replaced with pro-inflammatory lung macrophages from blood monocytes.

Source: Indian Express January 01, 2021 06:45 UTC