Figure 6.

Particle geometry affects macrophage phagocytosis physics. A) Particle shape and size tune phagocytosis by macrophages. a–c) SEM images of macrophages (brown) interacting with particles (purple). d–f) Overlay of fluorescence and bright field images with actin staining (red). Reproduced with permission.^[147] Copyright 2006, The National Academy of Sciences of the USA. B) Material size and shape tailor foreign body response. a) Decreased fibrosis on surface with increasing size of alginate spheres. b) Decreased foreign body reaction with increasing sphere diameter of diverse materials. Note: cell nuclei (blue, DAPI), macrophages (green, CD68) and activated myofibroblasts associated with fibrosis (red, α-SMA). c) Analysis of marker expression of macrophage phenotypes. Reproduced with permission.^[148]