Fig. 2

The role of macrophages in phagocytosis of Plasmodium falciparum. A There are different populations of macrophages that may interact with the parasites during an infection. Sporozoites encounter Kupffer cells in the liver during the initial stage of infection, and infected erythrocytes (IEs) circulated to the spleen for clearance will encounter splenic macrophages. In severe malaria, P. falciparum may encounter macrophages in other organs such as brain, placenta and lungs. B Macrophages can perform opsonic phagocytosis of IEs, which often results in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and antimicrobial peptides that play a role in inhibiting parasite growth [62, 63]. Similar to monocytes, they can directly uptake IEs using CD36, which is the non-opsonic phagocytosis pathway. Other phagocytic receptors involved in the uptake of haemozoin and parasite-derived vesicles are unknown