Macrophage Heterogeneity and Plasticity: Impact of Macrophage Biomarkers on Atherosclerosis

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a global epidemic, currently representing the worldwide leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Atherosclerosis is the fundamental pathophysiologic component of CVD, where the immune system plays an essential role. Monocytes and macrophages are key mediators in this...

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Main Authors: Joselyn Rojas, Juan Salazar, María Sofía Martínez, Jim Palmar, Jordan Bautista, Mervin Chávez-Castillo, Alexis Gómez, Valmore Bermúdez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2015-01-01
Series:Scientifica
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/851252
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author Joselyn Rojas
Juan Salazar
María Sofía Martínez
Jim Palmar
Jordan Bautista
Mervin Chávez-Castillo
Alexis Gómez
Valmore Bermúdez
author_facet Joselyn Rojas
Juan Salazar
María Sofía Martínez
Jim Palmar
Jordan Bautista
Mervin Chávez-Castillo
Alexis Gómez
Valmore Bermúdez
author_sort Joselyn Rojas
collection DOAJ
description Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a global epidemic, currently representing the worldwide leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Atherosclerosis is the fundamental pathophysiologic component of CVD, where the immune system plays an essential role. Monocytes and macrophages are key mediators in this aspect: due to their heterogeneity and plasticity, these cells may act as either pro- or anti-inflammatory mediators. Indeed, monocytes may develop heterogeneous functional phenotypes depending on the predominating pro- or anti-inflammatory microenvironment within the lesion, resulting in classic, intermediate, and non-classic monocytes, each with strikingly differing features. Similarly, macrophages may also adopt heterogeneous profiles being mainly M1 and M2, the former showing a proinflammatory profile while the latter demonstrates anti-inflammatory traits; they are further subdivided in several subtypes with more specialized functions. Furthermore, macrophages may display plasticity by dynamically shifting between phenotypes in response to specific signals. Each of these distinct cell profiles is associated with diverse biomarkers which may be exploited for therapeutic intervention, including IL-10, IL-13, PPAR-γ, LXR, NLRP3 inflammasomes, and microRNAs. Direct modulation of the molecular pathways concerning these potential macrophage-related targets represents a promising field for new therapeutic alternatives in atherosclerosis and CVD.
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spelling doaj-art-6ec4957f0bd348a28fa7a4ed6c61f0ff2025-08-20T02:06:20ZengWileyScientifica2090-908X2015-01-01201510.1155/2015/851252851252Macrophage Heterogeneity and Plasticity: Impact of Macrophage Biomarkers on AtherosclerosisJoselyn Rojas0Juan Salazar1María Sofía Martínez2Jim Palmar3Jordan Bautista4Mervin Chávez-Castillo5Alexis Gómez6Valmore Bermúdez7Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Zulia, Maracaibo 4004, VenezuelaEndocrine and Metabolic Diseases Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Zulia, Maracaibo 4004, VenezuelaEndocrine and Metabolic Diseases Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Zulia, Maracaibo 4004, VenezuelaEndocrine and Metabolic Diseases Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Zulia, Maracaibo 4004, VenezuelaEndocrine and Metabolic Diseases Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Zulia, Maracaibo 4004, VenezuelaEndocrine and Metabolic Diseases Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Zulia, Maracaibo 4004, VenezuelaEndocrine and Metabolic Diseases Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Zulia, Maracaibo 4004, VenezuelaEndocrine and Metabolic Diseases Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Zulia, Maracaibo 4004, VenezuelaCardiovascular disease (CVD) is a global epidemic, currently representing the worldwide leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Atherosclerosis is the fundamental pathophysiologic component of CVD, where the immune system plays an essential role. Monocytes and macrophages are key mediators in this aspect: due to their heterogeneity and plasticity, these cells may act as either pro- or anti-inflammatory mediators. Indeed, monocytes may develop heterogeneous functional phenotypes depending on the predominating pro- or anti-inflammatory microenvironment within the lesion, resulting in classic, intermediate, and non-classic monocytes, each with strikingly differing features. Similarly, macrophages may also adopt heterogeneous profiles being mainly M1 and M2, the former showing a proinflammatory profile while the latter demonstrates anti-inflammatory traits; they are further subdivided in several subtypes with more specialized functions. Furthermore, macrophages may display plasticity by dynamically shifting between phenotypes in response to specific signals. Each of these distinct cell profiles is associated with diverse biomarkers which may be exploited for therapeutic intervention, including IL-10, IL-13, PPAR-γ, LXR, NLRP3 inflammasomes, and microRNAs. Direct modulation of the molecular pathways concerning these potential macrophage-related targets represents a promising field for new therapeutic alternatives in atherosclerosis and CVD.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/851252
spellingShingle Joselyn Rojas
Juan Salazar
María Sofía Martínez
Jim Palmar
Jordan Bautista
Mervin Chávez-Castillo
Alexis Gómez
Valmore Bermúdez
Macrophage Heterogeneity and Plasticity: Impact of Macrophage Biomarkers on Atherosclerosis
Scientifica
title Macrophage Heterogeneity and Plasticity: Impact of Macrophage Biomarkers on Atherosclerosis
title_full Macrophage Heterogeneity and Plasticity: Impact of Macrophage Biomarkers on Atherosclerosis
title_fullStr Macrophage Heterogeneity and Plasticity: Impact of Macrophage Biomarkers on Atherosclerosis
title_full_unstemmed Macrophage Heterogeneity and Plasticity: Impact of Macrophage Biomarkers on Atherosclerosis
title_short Macrophage Heterogeneity and Plasticity: Impact of Macrophage Biomarkers on Atherosclerosis
title_sort macrophage heterogeneity and plasticity impact of macrophage biomarkers on atherosclerosis
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/851252
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