Macrophages feel their age in macular degeneration

Macular degeneration, during which the posterior part of the eye known as the macula suffers from thinning, atrophy, and bleeding caused by abnormal angiogenesis (blood vessel formation), predominantly affects elderly adults and results in the loss of central vision. In this issue of the JCI, Kelly et al. investigate the regulation of innate immune cells, specifically macrophages, in ocular neovascularization following eye injury in mice (see the related article beginning on page 3421). They found that, as the mice aged, increased expression of IL-10 by senescent macrophages and changes in their expression of other cytokines altered the ability of these cells to restrain trauma-induced angiogenesis in the eye. These data provide insight into the effect of senescence on macrophage function and angiogenesis and have important implications for age-related diseases such as macular degeneration.

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