MFGE8 and autoimmune disease: Interestingly, recent studies have demonstrated that macrophages are activated and play a crucial role for host defense in inflammatory responses and inflammatory/autoimmune diseases via direct phagocytic engulfment of damaged or apoptotic cells through the formation of macrophage-damaged/apoptotic cell complexes mediated by a “molecular bridge,” such as milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor 8 (MFG-E8).