Macrophage source influences peritoneal persistence and immune cell dynamics in assays of reverse cholesterol transport

H]-cholesterol in BMDM-injected mice at 24 hours compared to J774-injected mice. Mechanistically, these findings suggest that the presence of macrophages to mediate cholesterol efflux in the early steps of RCT likely dominates total RCT measurements, potentially buffering the impact of later differences in macrophage persistence and immune activation. Together, these results demonstrate that macrophage source influences peritoneal persistence and immune cell dynamics, but does not substantially alter RCT outcomes under the conditions tested, underscoring the importance of considering macrophage source when designing and interpreting macrophage-to-feces RCT studies.