The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Macrophage Polarization and Its Role in Inflammatory Disease

2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Macrophage Polarization and Its Role in Inflammatory Disease

April 14, 2016 • By Susan Bernstein

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF
How macrophages (shown) behave when recognizing damage-associated molecular pathways can tell us why some inflammation doesn’t resolve, but becomes chronic and destructive.

How macrophages (shown) behave when recognizing damage-associated molecular pathways can tell us why some inflammation doesn’t resolve, but becomes chronic and destructive.
royaltystockphoto.com/shutterstock.com

SAN FRANCISCO—To unravel how out-of-control inflammation begins in rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases, one target for immunologists is the macrophage. Researchers discussed macrophage activation and other key drivers of inflammation at the 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting on Nov. 7. How macrophages behave when recognizing damage-associated molecular pathways (DAMPs) tells us more about why some inflammation doesn’t resolve as it should, but instead becomes chronic and destructive.

You Might Also Like
  • 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Metabolic Pathways Linked with Inflammatory Diseases
  • 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Cellular Triggers in Inflammatory Disease
  • 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Immune Mediators Can Impact Inflammatory Response
Explore This Issue
April 2016
Also By This Author
  • Managing Myositis in 3 Different Scenarios

Macrophage Polarization

Macrophages are involved in both adaptive and innate immunity. There appears to be some interaction or cross-talk between various cells that affect macrophage polarization, said Lionel B. Ivashkiv, MD, chief scientific officer of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Stromal cells, including fibroblast-like synoviocytes, may regulate how macrophages respond to tumor necrosis factor, as well as modulate synovial macrophage phenotypes that play a key role in rheumatoid arthritis pathogenesis.1

“Macrophages and fibroblast-like synoviocytes are closely juxtaposed in RA-inflamed synovium,” said Dr. Ivashkiv. These two types of cells would normally work together in balance to keep the joint and synovial fluid in a healthy state, but in RA, something goes wrong, and they lead to chronic inflammation and joint damage.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

In the past, macrophage polarization was viewed as taking one of two roads, based on what type of cytokine, such as tumor necrosis alpha or interferon gamma, the cells encountered. The two models were M1 or classical, which would trigger an inflammatory response, and M2 or alternative, which would normally lead to resolution of inflammation and tissue healing.2 In chronic inflammatory diseases, resolution doesn’t happen. RA synovial macrophages have more of a complex polarization spectrum, one where there may be a lot of overlap in gene expression, he said.3

Fibroblast-like synoviocytes modulate the expression of TNF-inducible genes in macrophages, he said. They also superinduce growth factor and prostaglandin pathways in macrophages.4

Synovial macrophages in RA are similar to TPP or C9 macrophages, which are also associated with chronic inflammation. “There’s also a striking similarity between the C9 polarization state and synovial fibroblast-trained macrophages,” he said. “What underlies this synergy?”

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Fibroblasts and TNF cooperate to activate transcription factors in macrophages in a PG-dependent manner, and TNF and PGE2 also synergistically induce gene expression.5 Prostaglandins and growth factors also play a role in macrophage polarization. Synovial fibroblast-derived PGEs modulate macrophage TNF responses.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Meeting Reports, Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes Tagged With: 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, activation, American College of Rheumatology, Disease, inflammation, macrophage, polarization, Research, Rheumatoid arthritisIssue: April 2016

You Might Also Like:
  • 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Metabolic Pathways Linked with Inflammatory Diseases
  • 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Cellular Triggers in Inflammatory Disease
  • 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Immune Mediators Can Impact Inflammatory Response
  • 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Research Lends Insight Into Osteoporosis Treatment, New Auto-Inflammatory Disease, Scleroderma

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2022 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)