What is the Role of Macrophages in the Immune Response?
Macrophages are essential for both innate and adaptive immunity. In innate immunity, they act as the first line of defense by recognizing and phagocytosing pathogens. They also produce cytokines and chemokines that recruit other immune cells to the site of infection. In the context of adaptive immunity, macrophages process and present antigens to T-cells, thus bridging the gap between innate and adaptive immune responses.
