Mast cells are at the interface between the external environment and the inner organism

Domenico Ribatti

doi:10.3389/fmed.2023.1332047

Mast cells are at the interface between the external environment and the inner organism

Front Med (Lausanne). 2024 Jan 4:10:1332047. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1332047. eCollection 2023.

Author

Domenico Ribatti¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy.

Abstract

Mast cells localized at the level of the mucosal barrier in the skin, lung, and gastrointestinal tract, intervene in the modulation of the function of the epithelial cells and are involved in innate and adaptive defensive responses. In this context, mast cells intervene in the recognition and clearance of microbial pathogens. This mini-review article discusses the role of mast cells in these barrier systems.

Keywords: barrier system; gastrointestinal tract; lung; mast cells; skin.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by Associazione Italiana contro le Leucemie, Linfomi, e Mieloma (AIL), Bari, Italy.