Aortic intimal resident macrophages are essential for maintenance of the non-thrombogenic intravascular state

Leukocytes and endothelial cells frequently cooperate to resolve inflammatory events. In most cases, these interactions are transient in nature and triggered by immunological insults. Here, we report that, in areas of disturbed blood flow, aortic endothelial cells permanently and intimately associate with a population of specialized macrophages. These macrophages are recruited at birth from the closing ductus arteriosus and share the luminal surface with the endothelium, becoming interwoven in the tunica intima. Anatomical changes that affect hemodynamics, such as in patent ductus arteriosus, alter macrophage seeding to coincide with regions of disturbed flow. Aortic resident macrophages expand in situ via direct cell renewal. Induced depletion of intimal macrophages leads to thrombin-mediated endothelial cell contraction, progressive fibrin accumulation and formation of microthrombi that, once dislodged, cause blockade of vessels in several organs. Together the findings reveal that intravascular resident macrophages are essential to regulate thrombin activity and clear fibrin deposits in regions of disturbed blood flow.