Macrophage polarization and future perspectives: a comprehensive review

• Published in: Discover materials Vol. 4; no. 1; pp. 61 - 20
• Main Authors: Yellanki, Yashwanth C., Patil, Mallanagouda M., Raghu, Anjanapura V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 20.10.2024; Springer Nature B.V; Springer
• Subjects: Activation; Arginase; Bacterial infections; Biomaterials; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Cytokines; Cytotoxicity; Energy Materials; Enzymes; Immunity (Disease); Infections; Inos; Kinases; Macrophage polarization; Materials Science; Metabolism; Metallic Materials; Neurodegenerative diseases; Nitric oxide; Nobel prizes; Plasticity; Review; Structural Materials; Arginase; Activation; Inos; Macrophage polarization; Neurodegenerative diseases; Plasticity
• ISSN: 2730-7727; 2730-7727
• DOI: 10.1007/s43939-024-00133-2

Macrophage polarization is an important phenomenon that underlies various physiological mechanisms protective to the host and pathological mechanisms manipulated by microbes, thus we need to come to terms with this phenomenon and understand it at the molecular level. This paper highlights various aspects of macrophage activation and polarization starting from the discovery of macrophages to the latest advancements like using algorithms to determine polarization in a marker-free manner. We have covered macrophage polarization in response to various stimuli and also how this is affected in various disease conditions. Macrophage polarization in many neurodegenerative diseases has also been covered in this review. Various methods used for detecting and quantifying this phenomenon have been discussed below. It has been noted that our understanding of this phenomenon may lead to many novel therapeutic approaches in dealing with a varied set of disease pathologies making it extremely valuable for clinical practice. Newer technological advancements in the field have the potential to act as diagnostic tools for various diseases. In this paper, we have tried to summarize the existing information on macrophage polarization and activation to understand the progress we have made in understanding this phenomenon. Graphical Abstract Highlights History of macrophage activation and polarization have been discussed. Various metabolic pathways that underline the functions of polarized macrophages has been discussed. Macrophage polarization in response to various stimuli in the microenvironment has been discussed including the newer discovered M4 macrophage state. Macrophage polarization in response to various disease pathologies like neurodegenerative diseases, mycobacterial diseases, plaque, HIV and other disease has been highlighted. Different methods for describing macrophage polarization have been discussed including newer methods using algorithms and machine learning.