Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research ›› 2025, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (13): 2832-2841.doi: 10.12307/2025.506

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Relationship between macrophage subtypes in obese adipose tissue and metabolic diseases

Zhao Yuqing1, Wang Wei2, You Huijuan1, Chen Liyuan1, Chen Yan1, Wang Qinglu1, Yang Fengying1   

  1. 1College of Sports and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan 250102, Shandong Province, China; 2Shandong Qingdao Sports Training Center, Qingdao 266023, Shandong Province, China
  • Received:2024-03-28 Accepted:2024-05-29 Online:2025-05-08 Published:2024-09-12
  • Contact: Yang Fengying, MD, College of Sports and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan 250102, Shandong Province, China
  • About author:Zhao Yuqing, Master candidate, College of Sports and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan 250102, Shandong Province, China
  • Supported by:
    Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, No. ZR2022MH163 (to YFY)

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Macrophage subtypes exhibit tissue heterogeneity, and the adipose tissue macrophage phenotype is largely influenced by obesity. Local and systemic inflammatory responses caused by obese adipose tissue macrophages are considered a vital pathological mechanism of obesity-associated metabolic diseases.
OBJECTIVE: To summarize the inflammatory characteristics of different macrophage subtypes in adipose tissue and their relationship with obesity-associated metabolic diseases, aiming to provide a reference basis for targeting specific macrophage subtypes to explore preventive and treatment strategies for obesity-associated metabolic diseases.
METHODS: Literature retrieval was conducted in CNKI and PubMed using Chinese and English search terms “obesity, adipose tissue, adipose tissue macrophage, macrophage polarisation, metabolic diseases.” The search results were accepted or excluded according to the inclusion criteria. Ninety-one papers that met the criteria were finally included for review.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Macrophages have tissue heterogeneity. Under normal conditions, adipose tissue macrophages are mainly composed of anti-inflammatory M2 resident macrophages, which maintain tissue inflammation homeostasis. Under obese conditions, a large number of foreign infiltrating macrophages surround hypertrophic adipocytes, and most of them exhibit pro-inflammatory characteristics. Therefore, it is believed that adipose tissue macrophages of pro-inflammatory M1 type may actually be a collection of multiple pro-inflammatory subtypes. Further understanding of the characteristics of various pro-inflammatory subtypes helps us to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying inflammatory disorders in obese adipose tissue. (2) In obesity, foreign infiltrating macrophages form crown-like structures around hypertrophic adipocytes. Currently, six different subtypes of the crown-like structure have been identified, most of which exhibit pro-inflammatory properties and a few of which possess anti-inflammatory characteristics. Thus, taking full advantage of the anti-inflammatory subtypes while inhibiting the differentiation of the pro-inflammatory subtypes may be a new target for alleviating inflammatory damage in obese adipose tissue. (3) M3, MMe, CD9+ and LAM adipose tissue macrophage subtypes have been found to be involved in the occurrence and development of metabolic diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, insulin resistance, and cancer. DARC+ and MFehi adipose tissue macrophage subtypes play a vital role in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity insulin resistance, iron death, and other related metabolic diseases. The above studies further suggest that inflammatory disorders caused by externally infiltrated macrophages in obese adipose tissue are an important pathological basis for obesity-induced metabolic diseases. Further in-depth research on the characteristics of various subtypes has important theoretical and practical significance.

Key words: adipose tissue, macrophage, adipose tissue macrophage subtype, metabolic disease, obesity, macrophage polarization, pro-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory

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