Editorial: Macrophages and Dendritic Cells in Motion: Tracking Inflammation and Fibrosis

Visualization of Acute Inflammation through a Macrophage-Camouflaged Afterglow Nanocomplex

“…For inflammatory visualization, effectively delivering an optical probe to the inflammatory site and output effective signals is another decisive factor. , The current strategies include targeting the inflammatory site through specific binding with inflammatory related molecules and using environmentally activated probes . However, it is quite a challenge to visualize acute brain inflammation, which is limited by hard delivery of probes across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) into the inflammatory location. , Acute inflammation is generally characterized by heat, swelling, redness, and loss of function, in which a mononuclear phagocytic system may rapidly induce hyperplasia at the site of injury. − Therefore, immunocyte-mediated targeting by virtue of immune cells or components is emerging as an effective method for monitoring the occurrence and progression of inflammatory diseases. − Among them, macrophages are professional phagocytes that are integral to innate immune defense and associated with phagocytic effects in response to inflammation. − When inflammation occurs, macrophages could rapidly recognize and accumulate into pathological sites through chemotaxis and recruit more adjacent macrophages moving to inflammatory sites for eliminating exogenous substances and necrotic cells subsequently. ,, …”