Macrophages and the Survival of Cardiomyocytes After Myocardial Infarction.

Myocardial infarction (MI) causes a severe burden to public health worldwide. After MI, stressed cardiomyocytes undergo necrosis and regulated cell death. Dynamic cell cascades ensue to limit tissue injury and promote healing. MI and subsequent ischemic injury trigger the influx of innate immune cells. Macrophages, among the first responders of MI, are known mostly to coordinate the scavenging of dead cardiomyocytes. However, rather than occurring as a homogenous population, macrophages have diverse ontogenies and pathological functions, exhibiting contradictory roles in the survival and death of cardiomyocytes. This review focused on macrophages and discussed their diverse dynamics and functional patterns after MI. We shared the insight into the roles of macrophages in cardiomyocyte survival and regulated cell death. We explored the use of single-cell technology to discriminate specific macrophage clusters that can provide clues for the precise targeting of cardiomyocyte survival after MI.