HYPERTENSION IS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT RECRUITMENT OF PRO-INFLAMMATORY SPLENIC MONOCYTES/MACROPHAGES TO THE HEART

Monocytes/macrophages are increasingly recognized as important regulators of inflammatory injury and scarring in the heart, termed myocardial fibrosis. However, our understanding of the early changes in monocytes/macrophages between storage (spleen), circulation, and heart in myocardial fibrosis secondary to hypertension remains limited. In this study, we characterized the interrelationship between monocyte/macrophage populations in the spleen, blood, and heart in a well-described model of hypertension.