Metabolic reprogramming of macrophages and its involvement in inflammatory diseases

Authors

  • Chunyu Guo Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, and Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, China
  • Rayhanul Islam Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Sojo University, Ikeda 4-22-1, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8621-2386
  • Shichen Zhang Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, China, E-mail: zhangshichen@ahmu.edu.cn https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2649-7321
  • Jun Fang Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Sojo University, Ikeda 4-22-1, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan. Tel: +81-96-326-4137; Fax: +81-96-326-5048; E-mail: fangjun@ph.sojo-u.ac.jp https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7362-5878

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2020-3053

Keywords:

macrophage, metabolic reprogramming, polarization, inflammation, tissue repair

Abstract

Macrophages are critical effector cells of the innate immune system. The presence of microbes or the stimulation by inflammatory factors triggers the metabolic reprogramming of macrophages or macrophage polarization into two phenotypes: the classically activated macrophages (M1) displaying a pro-inflammatory phenotype and the alternatively activated macrophages (M2) having anti-inflammatory functions. The imbalance between the two phenotypes has been linked with various pathological states, such as fibrosis, hepatitis, colitis, and tumor progression. An avenue of potential therapeutic strategies based on macrophage polarization has emerged. Therefore, it is essential to understand the mechanisms of macrophage polarization. In this review, we focus on the macrophage polarization process and discuss the stimuli-dependent conversion into M1 and M2 phenotypes. We also present the metabolic patterns supporting their specific functions. The factors and signaling cascades involved in intra-class switching are also detailed. Finally, the role of macrophage polarization in disease progression is discussed.

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Published

2021-03-11

How to Cite

Guo, C., Islam, R., Zhang, S., & Fang, J. (2021). Metabolic reprogramming of macrophages and its involvement in inflammatory diseases. EXCLI Journal, 20, 628–641. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2020-3053

Issue

Vol. 20 (2021)

Section

Review articles

License

Copyright (c) 2021 Chunyu Guo, Rayhanul Islam, Shichen Zhang, Jun Fang

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