Mechanisms and treatment of atherosclerosis: focus on macrophages

Front Immunol. 2024 Nov 6:15:1490387. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1490387. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Macrophages are the basic mediators and coordinators of various types of chronic inflammation and play a crucial role in the formation and development of atherosclerosis (AS). In the complex microenvironment of atherosclerotic plaques, macrophages of different sources are exposed to different signal stimuli and thus polarized into various subpopulations. Various types of macrophages with predominantly M1 and M2 phenotypes also play different regulatory roles in the initiation and progression of AS. Lipid-lowering drugs, mainly statins, are widely used in clinical practice, but the adverse reactions are obvious and there is a lack of personalized treatment. Emerging targeted macrophage and Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-related therapies can regulate the cellular microenvironment, inhibit the polarization of M1 macrophages, and promote the activation of M2 macrophages, providing new ideas for the prevention and treatment of AS.

Keywords: atherosclerosis; formation of atherosclerosis; polarization of M1/M2 macrophages; source of macrophages; targeted macrophage therapy.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Atherosclerosis* / immunology
  • Atherosclerosis* / therapy
  • Cellular Microenvironment
  • Humans
  • Macrophage Activation / immunology
  • Macrophages* / immunology
  • Medicine, Chinese Traditional
  • Plaque, Atherosclerotic / immunology

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82160842; Traditional Chinese Medicine scientific research Project in Gansu Province in 2023, No. GZKP-2022-40; Open Subjects of Dunhuang Medicine in the Key Laboratory of Translation of the Ministry of Education, No. DHYX23-07; General Program of the Joint Scientific Research Fund, No. 23JRRA1521; Youth Science and Technology Fund Program of Gansu Province, NO. 21JR7RA643; Gansu Provincial People's Hospital youth training project, NO. 20GSSY4-22.