Advances in research on the role of alveolar macrophage burial function in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

As one of the top three causes of death in the world, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)is a serious hazard to human health. Macrophages play an important role in COPD, and their efferocytosis function is essential for ending chronic inflammation of COPD. Efferocytosis damage of alveolar macrophages (AM) in patients with COPD causes the rising of bacterial infection and airway bacterial colonization risk in lungs, which is the main reason for the acute exacerbation and the rising of incidence rate and mortality rate in COPD. In recent years, the regulation of macrophage efferocytosis function in COPD has becoming a research hotspot. Progress on the role of macrophage efferocytosis function on COPD, and the breakthrough points of improving AM efferocytosis dysfunction by traditional Chinese medicine is reviewed, so as to provide new ideas for the prevention and treatment of COPD. Key words: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Alveolar macrophages; Efferocytosis