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REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Inflammation
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1490387
This article is part of the Research Topic Immune Cells, Inflammation, and Cardiovascular Disease: Advancements in Novel Drug Discoveries to Immunotherapeutic Strategies View all 9 articles

Mechanisms and Treatment of Atherosclerosis: Focus on Macrophages

Provisionally accepted
Lingna Zhang Lingna Zhang 1Jiawei Li Jiawei Li 1Yushun Kou Yushun Kou 1Lufan Shen Lufan Shen 1Hong Wang Hong Wang 1Yiyuan Wang Yiyuan Wang 1Ruiling Ma Ruiling Ma 1Tao Wu Tao Wu 1Xin Yang Xin Yang 1Yuanhui Gu Yuanhui Gu 2*Lin Yi Lin Yi 1*
  • 1 Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, China
  • 2 Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Macrophages are the basic mediators and coordinators of various types of chronic inflammation and play a crucial role in the formation and development of atherosclerosis(AS).In the complex microenvironment of atherosclerotic plaques, macrophages of different sources are exposed to different signal stimuli and thus polarized into various subpopulations.Various types of macrophages with predominantly M1 and M2 phenotypes also play different regulatory roles in the initiation and progression of AS. Lipid-lowering drugs, mainly statins, are widely used in clinical practice, but the adverse reactions are obvious and there is a lack of personalized treatment. Emerging targeted macrophage and Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)-related therapies can regulate the cellular microenvironment, inhibit the polarization of M1 macrophages and promote the activation of M2 macrophages, providing new ideas for the prevention and treatment of AS.

    Keywords: Atherosclerosis, Polarization of M1/M2 Macrophages, Targeted macrophage therapy, Formation of atherosclerosis, Source of Macrophages

    Received: 03 Sep 2024; Accepted: 09 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Li, Kou, Shen, Wang, Wang, Ma, Wu, Yang, Gu and Yi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yuanhui Gu, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, China
    Lin Yi, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.