Liu Xiaoyu, Pang Shuchao, Jiang Yangyang, Wang Lixin, Liu Yi
First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China.
Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 2025 Apr;39(2):459-472. doi: 10.1007/s10557-023-07513-5. Epub 2023 Oct 21.
Currently, atherosclerosis, characterized by the dysfunction of lipid metabolism and chronic inflammation in the intimal space of the vessel, is considered to be a metabolic disease. As the most abundant innate immune cells in the body, macrophages play a key role in the onset, progression, or regression of atherosclerosis. For example, macrophages exhibit several polarization states in response to microenvironmental stimuli; an increasing proportion of macrophages, polarized toward M2, can suppress inflammation, scavenge cell debris and apoptotic cells, and contribute to tissue repair and fibrosis. Additionally, specific exosomes, generated by macrophages containing certain miRNAs and effective efferocytosis of macrophages, are crucial for atherosclerosis. Therefore, macrophages have emerged as a novel potential target for anti-atherosclerosis therapy. This article reviews the role of macrophages in atherosclerosis from different aspects: origin, phenotype, exosomes, and efferocytosis, and discusses new approaches for the treatment of atherosclerosis.
目前，以血管内膜脂质代谢功能障碍和慢性炎症为特征的动脉粥样硬化被认为是一种代谢性疾病。巨噬细胞作为体内最丰富的固有免疫细胞，在动脉粥样硬化的发生、发展或消退中起关键作用。例如，巨噬细胞会根据微环境刺激呈现多种极化状态；越来越多极化朝向M2的巨噬细胞可抑制炎症、清除细胞碎片和凋亡细胞，并促进组织修复和纤维化。此外，由含有特定微小RNA的巨噬细胞产生的特定外泌体以及巨噬细胞的有效胞葬作用对动脉粥样硬化至关重要。因此，巨噬细胞已成为抗动脉粥样硬化治疗的一个新的潜在靶点。本文从不同方面综述了巨噬细胞在动脉粥样硬化中的作用：起源、表型、外泌体和胞葬作用，并探讨了动脉粥样硬化治疗的新方法。
