Contribution of Metabolic Reprogramming to Macrophage Plasticity and Function

Macrophages display a spectrum of functional activation phenotypes depending on the composition of the microenvironment they reside in, including type of tissue/organ and character of injurious challenge they are exposed to. Our understanding of how macrophage plasticity is regulated by the local microenvironment is still limited. Here we review and discuss the recent literature regarding the contribution of cellular metabolic pathways to the ability of the macrophage to sense the microenvironment and to alter its function. We propose that distinct alterations in the microenvironment induce a spectrum of inducible and reversible metabolic programs that might form the basis of the inducible and reversible spectrum of functional macrophage activation/polarization phenotypes. We highlight that metabolic pathways in the bidirectional communication between macrophages and stromals cells are an important component of chronic inflammatory conditions. Recent work demonstrates that inflammatory macrophage activation is tightly associated with metabolic reprogramming to aerobic glycolysis, an altered TCA cycle, and reduced mitochondrial respiration. We review cytosolic and mitochondrial mechanisms that promote initiation and maintenance of macrophage activation as they relate to increased aerobic glycolysis and highlight potential pathways through which anti-inflammatory IL-10 could promote macrophage deactivation. Finally, we propose that in addition to their role in energy generation and regulation of apoptosis, mitochondria reprogram their metabolism to also participate in regulating macrophage activation and plasticity.