Immunometabolic cues recompose and reprogram the microenvironment around implanted biomaterials

Abstract

Circulating monocytes infiltrate and coordinate immune responses in tissues surrounding implanted biomaterials and in other inflamed tissues. Here we show that immunometabolic cues in the biomaterial microenvironment govern the trafficking of immune cells, including neutrophils and monocytes, in a manner dependent on the chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) and the C-X3-C motif chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1). This affects the composition and activation states of macrophage and dendritic cell populations, ultimately orchestrating the relative composition of pro-inflammatory, transitory and anti-inflammatory CCR2⁺, CX3CR1⁺ and CCR2⁺ CX3CR1⁺ immune cell populations. In amorphous polylactide implants, modifying immunometabolism by glycolytic inhibition drives a pro-regenerative microenvironment principally by myeloid cells. In crystalline polylactide implants, together with arginase-1-expressing myeloid cells, T helper 2 cells and γδ⁺ T cells producing interleukin-4 substantially contribute to shaping the metabolically reprogrammed pro-regenerative microenvironment. Our findings inform the premise that local metabolic states regulate inflammatory processes in the biomaterial microenvironment.