{"title":"Macrophages in metaflammation - fueling chronic inflammation in metabolic disease.","authors":"Ronja Kardinal, Dagmar Wachten","doi":"10.1007/s00424-025-03141-0","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Obesity is a leading global health issue, closely associated with a chronic low-grade inflammation termed metaflammation. Metaflammation is driven by immune cell reprogramming, particularly of macrophages. In white adipose tissue (WAT), obesity induces a shift from anti-inflammatory to pro-inflammatory macrophage phenotypes, contributing to insulin resistance and tissue fibrosis. Recent studies have also illuminated the role of macrophages in brown and beige adipose tissue (BAT and scWAT), where they influence thermogenic capacity. Beyond the adipose tissue, the liver is the other main metabolic organ impacted by obesity. Liver macrophages play a critical role in the pathogenesis of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) by promoting inflammation, lipid accumulation, and fibrosis. This review highlights the role of macrophages in the development and regulation of metaflammation in metabolic organs.</p>","PeriodicalId":19954,"journal":{"name":"Pflugers Archiv : European journal of physiology","volume":"478 1","pages":"10"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12705778/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Pflugers Archiv : European journal of physiology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-025-03141-0","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PHYSIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Obesity is a leading global health issue, closely associated with a chronic low-grade inflammation termed metaflammation. Metaflammation is driven by immune cell reprogramming, particularly of macrophages. In white adipose tissue (WAT), obesity induces a shift from anti-inflammatory to pro-inflammatory macrophage phenotypes, contributing to insulin resistance and tissue fibrosis. Recent studies have also illuminated the role of macrophages in brown and beige adipose tissue (BAT and scWAT), where they influence thermogenic capacity. Beyond the adipose tissue, the liver is the other main metabolic organ impacted by obesity. Liver macrophages play a critical role in the pathogenesis of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) by promoting inflammation, lipid accumulation, and fibrosis. This review highlights the role of macrophages in the development and regulation of metaflammation in metabolic organs.
期刊介绍:
Pflügers Archiv European Journal of Physiology publishes those results of original research that are seen as advancing the physiological sciences, especially those providing mechanistic insights into physiological functions at the molecular and cellular level, and clearly conveying a physiological message. Submissions are encouraged that deal with the evaluation of molecular and cellular mechanisms of disease, ideally resulting in translational research. Purely descriptive papers covering applied physiology or clinical papers will be excluded. Papers on methodological topics will be considered if they contribute to the development of novel tools for further investigation of (patho)physiological mechanisms.