Monocytes can differentiate into inflammatory or anti-inflammatory subsets. Upon tissue damage or infection, monocytes are rapidly recruited to the tissue, where they can differentiate into tissue macrophages or dendritic cells.

Do macrophages develop from monocytes?

Monocytes have long been considered as a developmental intermediate between bone marrow precursors and tissue macrophages. It is now clear, however, that many DCs and tissue macrophages do not originate from monocytes in a steady-state. Conversely, monocytes carry out specific effector functions during inflammation(3).

Are monocytes and macrophages the same thing?

Monocytes and macrophages are very closely related cells with a few important distinctions and different use cases. Put simply, monocytes are macrophages in the blood; macrophages are monocytes in tissue.