Neutrophils play a crucial role in the immune response, acting as the most abundant white blood cells responsible for frontline defense against infections and injury. Upon activation, these cells migrate to sites of inflammation, employing mechanisms like phagocytosis, degranulation, and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Their ability to undergo a variety of programmed and non-programmed cell death pathways, such as apoptosis, pyroptosis, necrosis, and NETosis, underscores their dual function—not only as protectors but also as potential mediators of tissue damage. Recent studies have highlighted the divergent roles of these death pathways in both preventing and aggravating disease, revealing critical gaps in our understanding of their regulation and impact, particularly in inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and beyond.
The primary goal of this Research Topic is to foster novel insights into the complex mechanisms governing neutrophil death and their implications for immune regulation, inflammation, and pathogenesis. By dissecting these pathways, we aim to identify new strategies for modulation, seeking to balance inflammatory and non-inflammatory responses to optimize neutrophil functionality. This includes addressing fundamental questions about their contribution to immune homeostasis and how pathological or excessive death can influence disease progression or tissue damage.
To gather further insights into these complex phenomena, we encourage articles that extend our understanding of neutrophil biology to address diverse themes, including but not limited to:
- Mechanisms and molecular regulators of distinct neutrophil death pathways
- Neutrophil death's role in various disease models
- Dysregulated neutrophil function and its pathological consequences
- Therapeutic modulation of neutrophil death processes
- Neutrophil roles in cancer progression and therapy
- Innovation in techniques and biomarkers for investigating neutrophil activity
Keywords: Neutrophil
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
