Dendritic cells and macrophages in kidney disease.

Recent studies on dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages have greatly advanced our knowledge of glomerular immunopathology. This rapidly developing field most likely has considerable impact on our understanding of the major mediators of tissue injury and repair in kidney disease. The pivotal role of cytokine in the initiation, differentiation, and amplification of local immune response production by antigen-presenting cells (APC; DCs, macrophages, and so forth) has been well documented, but the precise biological role of the numerous APC-derived products as effectors in both renal inflammation and repair remains a topic of intense research. This review focuses on the activated DCs and macrophages for the development and resolution of kidney disease, and discusses mechanistic information on the inflammatory process, including tissue injury and healing. A multi-dimensional study may contribute to further clarification of the role of their cellular activation in the progression of human kidney disease.