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Review
. 2023 Oct 12;20(1):33.
doi: 10.1186/s12950-023-00360-z.

Advances in the study of macrophage polarization in inflammatory immune skin diseases

Tingting Xia  1   2 , Shengping Fu  1 , Ruilin Yang  1 , Kang Yang  2 , Wei Lei  2 , Ying Yang  2 , Qian Zhang  3 , Yujie Zhao  4 , Jiang Yu  1 , Limei Yu  1 , Tao Zhang  5   6
Affiliations
Review

Advances in the study of macrophage polarization in inflammatory immune skin diseases

Tingting Xia et al. J Inflamm (Lond). .

Abstract

When exposed to various microenvironmental stimuli, macrophages are highly plastic and primarily polarized into the pro-inflammatory M1-type and the anti-inflammatory M2-type, both of which perform almost entirely opposing functions. Due to this characteristic, macrophages perform different functions at different stages of immunity and inflammation. Inflammatory immune skin diseases usually show an imbalance in the M1/M2 macrophage ratio, and altering the macrophage polarization phenotype can either make the symptoms worse or better. Therefore, this review presents the mechanisms of macrophage polarization, inflammation-related signaling pathways (JAK/STAT, NF-κB, and PI3K/Akt), and the role of both in inflammatory immune skin diseases (psoriasis, AD, SLE, BD, etc.) to provide new directions for basic and clinical research of related diseases.

Keywords: Immunity; Inflammation; Macrophage polarization; Signaling pathway; Skin diseases.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
M1-type and M2-type macrophage polarization. Under the influence of IFN-γ and LPS, M0 macrophages polarize into M1-type, leading to the activation of an inflammatory response, elimination of pathogens, and the initiation of tissue damage through the release of pro-inflammatory molecules like TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. Conversely, when exposed to IL-4 and IL-13, M0 macrophages shift towards M2-type, resulting in the suppression of inflammation, promotion of tissue repair, and facilitation of wound healing through the secretion of anti-inflammatory molecules such as IL-10 and TGF-β
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Inflammation-related signaling pathways associated with macrophage polarization. The JAK/STAT1, NF-κB, and PI3K/Akt2 signaling pathways play a role in promoting M1 polarization of macrophages. On the other hand, the JAK/STAT3 or JAK/STAT6 and PI3K/Akt1 or PI3K/Akt3 signaling pathways are involved in promoting M2 polarization of macrophages. These signaling pathways can interact with each other, leading to a combined effect in determining the direction of macrophage polarization
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