The Role of Macrophage Autophagy in Asthma: A Novel Therapeutic Strategy

Figure 1

Role of macrophages in asthma. Macrophages can be polarized into the M1 phenotype by LPS or IFN-γ stimulation and secrete inflammatory mediators to exert a proinflammatory effect; moreover, they can also be transformed into the M2 phenotype with different subtypes (M2a, M2b, M2c, and M2d) activated by IL-4, IL-10, IL-13, etc. and have a distinct biological function. LPS: lipopolysaccharide; IL: interleukin; IFN: interferon; TNF: tumor necrosis factor; TGF: transforming growth factor; CCL: CC-motif chemokine ligand; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor.