Rate of replenishment and microenvironment contribute to the sexually dimorphic phenotype and function of peritoneal macrophages

Abstract : Macrophages reside in the body cavities where they maintain serosal homeostasis and provide immune surveillance. Peritoneal macrophages are implicated in the aetiology of pathologies including peritonitis, endometriosis and metastatic cancer thus understanding the factors that govern their behaviour is vital. Using a combination of fate mapping techniques, we have investigated the impact of sex and age on murine peritoneal macrophage differentiation, turnover and function. We demonstrate