Macrophage/microglia polarization for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy

Yujia Yao; Jiajun Li; Yunfan Zhou; Suyu Wang; Ziran Zhang; Qin Jiang; Keran Li

doi:10.3389/fendo.2023.1276225

Macrophage/microglia polarization for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023 Sep 28:14:1276225. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1276225. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Yujia Yao^{1

2}, Jiajun Li^{1

2}, Yunfan Zhou^{1

2}, Suyu Wang^{1

2}, Ziran Zhang^{1

2}, Qin Jiang^{1

2}, Keran Li^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, The Affiliated Eye Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
² The Fourth School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

Abstract

Macrophages/microglia are immune system defense and homeostatic cells that develop from bone marrow progenitor cells. According to the different phenotypes and immune responses of macrophages (Th1 and Th2), the two primary categories of polarized macrophages/microglia are those conventionally activated (M1) and alternatively activated (M2). Macrophage/microglial polarization is a key regulating factor in the development of inflammatory disorders, cancers, metabolic disturbances, and neural degeneration. Macrophage/microglial polarization is involved in inflammation, oxidative stress, pathological angiogenesis, and tissue healing processes in ocular diseases, particularly in diabetic retinopathy (DR). The functional phenotypes of macrophages/microglia affect disease progression and prognosis, and thus regulate the polarization or functional phenotype of microglia at different DR stages, which may offer new concepts for individualized therapy of DR. This review summarizes the involvement of macrophage/microglia polarization in physiological situations and in the pathological process of DR, and discusses the promising role of polarization in personalized treatment of DR.

Keywords: diabetic retinopathy; immune system; macrophages; microglia; ocular diseases; polarization.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Diabetes Mellitus* / metabolism
Diabetic Retinopathy* / metabolism
Humans
Inflammation / metabolism
Macrophage Activation
Macrophages / metabolism
Microglia / metabolism

Grants and funding

The authors declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82171080, 82101155), and Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (JX10413973).