For many years red blood cells have been described as inert bystanders rather than participants in intercellular signalling, immune function, and inflammatory processes. However, studies are now reporting that red blood cells from healthy individuals regulate immune cell activity and maturation, and red blood cells from disease cohorts are dysfunctional. These cells have now been shown to bind more than 50 cytokines and have been described as a sink for these molecules, and the loss of this activity has been correlated with disease progression. In this review, we summarise what is currently understood about the role of red blood cells in cytokine signalling and in modulating the activity of immune cells. We also discuss the implications of these findings for transfusion medicine and in furthering our understanding of anaemia of chronic inflammation. By bringing these disparate units of work together, we aim to shine a light on an area that requires significantly more investigation.

多年来，人们一直将红细胞描述为惰性的旁观者，而不是细胞间信号传导，免疫功能和炎症过程的参与者。但是，现在有研究报道，健康个体的红细胞调节免疫细胞的活性和成熟度，而疾病人群的红细胞则功能失调。现在已经显示这些细胞结合超过50种细胞因子，并被描述为这些分子的沉陷，并且这种活性的丧失与疾病的进展有关。在这篇综述中，我们总结了目前对红细胞在细胞因子信号传导和调节免疫细胞活性中的作用的了解。我们还将讨论这些发现对输血医学的意义，以及在进一步了解慢性炎症性贫血方面的意义。通过将这些不同的工作单元组合在一起，我们的目标是为需要大量调查的领域提供启发。