When macrophages are deprived of oxygen

Infected tissue has a low concentration of oxygen. The body’s standard immune mechanisms, which rely on oxygen, can then only function to a limited extent. How does the immune system nevertheless manage to control bacteria under such conditions? Researchers at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Regensburg discovered that fewer metabolites are produced in the citric acid cycle under hypoxic conditions, leading to a reduced rate of reproduction among bacteria in macrophages.
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