Macrophage Function and Eparocytosis in SCD

Chronic inflammation mediated by heme-activated pro-inflammatory macrophages is a hallmark of sickle cell disease. In SCD, macrophages are stressed due to the shortened half-life of red blood cells and chronic exposure to excess heme because of saturation of haptoglobin and heme-opexin binding capacity. The defects in epharocytosis contribute to tissue damage and sustained inflammation.