Gut homeostasis is a process that requires a prudent balance of host responses to the beneficial enteric microbial community and the pathogenic stimuli that can arise. The lack of this balance in the intestine can result in inflammatory bowel diseases, where the immune system dysfunctions leading to exacerbated inflammatory responses. In this process, macrophages are considered to play a pivotal role. In this review, we describe the important role of macrophages in maintaining intestinal homeostasis and we discuss how altered macrophage function may lead to inflammatory bowel diseases. The plasticity of macrophages during the gut inflammatory response shows the broad role of these cells in orchestrating not only the onset of inflammation but also its termination as well as healing and repair. Indeed, the state of macrophage polarization can be the key factor in defining the resolution or the progression of inflammation and disease. Here, we discuss the different populations of macrophages and their implication in development, propagation, control and resolution of inflammatory bowel diseases.

肠内稳态是需要宿主对有益肠微生物群和可能产生的病原体刺激进行谨慎平衡的过程。肠道中缺乏这种平衡会导致炎症性肠病，其中免疫系统功能异常，导致炎症反应加剧。在这一过程中，认为巨噬细胞起着关键作用。在这篇综述中，我们描述了巨噬细胞在维持肠道稳态中的重要作用，并讨论了巨噬细胞功能改变如何导致炎症性肠病。肠道炎症反应期间巨噬细胞的可塑性表明，这些细胞不仅在协调炎症的发作，而且在其终止以及愈合和修复中起着广泛的作用。确实，巨噬细胞极化状态可能是确定炎症和疾病的消退或进展的关键因素。在这里，我们讨论了巨噬细胞的不同种群及其在炎症性肠病的发生，传播，控制和解决中的意义。