Regulation of muscle growth and regeneration by the immune system

Following muscle injury, changes in the stages of muscle growth coincide with changes in the phenotype and activation status of leukocytes that enter the site of muscle damage. As described in this Review, complex and coordinated crosstalk between immune cells and muscle cells determines the success or failure of muscle regeneration. Diseases of muscle that are caused by pathological interactions between muscle and the immune system are devastating, but rare. However, muscle injuries that involve trauma and regeneration are fairly common, and inflammation is a clear feature of the regenerative process. Investigations of the inflammatory response to muscle injury have now revealed that the apparently nonspecific inflammatory response to trauma is actually a complex and coordinated interaction between muscle and the immune system that determines the success or failure of tissue regeneration.