Journal Article Review Ppublish
PubMed: 40334985 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2025.110203
Cellular crosstalk in fibrosis: Insights into macrophage and fibroblast dynamics.
J Biol Chem 301(6):110203
Authors: Zachary S C S Froom, Neal I Callaghan, Locke Davenport Huyer
Affiliations
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculties of Medicine and Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
- Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculties of Medicine and Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Department of Biomaterials & Applied Oral Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Division of Plastic Surgery, Nova Scotia Health, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Abstract
Pathological fibrosis, the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix and tissue stiffening that causes progressive organ dysfunction, underlies diverse chronic diseases. The fibrotic microenvironment is driven by the dynamic microenvironmental interaction between various cell types; macrophages and fibroblasts play central roles in fibrotic disease initiation, maintenance, and progression. Macrophage functional plasticity to microenvironmental stimuli modulates fibroblast functionality by releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines, growth factors, and matrix remodeling enzymes that promote fibroblast proliferation, activation, and differentiation into myofibroblasts. Activated fibroblasts and myofibroblasts serve as the fibrotic effector cells, secreting extracellular matrix components and initiating microenvironmental contracture. Fibroblasts also modulate macrophage function by releasing their own pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors, creating bidirectional crosstalk that reinforces the chronic fibrotic cycle. The intricate interplay between macrophages and fibroblasts, including their secretomes and signaling interactions, leads to tissue damage and pathological loss of tissue function. In this review, we examine macrophage-fibroblast reciprocal dynamic interactions in pathological fibrotic conditions. We discuss the specific lineages and functionality of macrophages and fibroblasts implicated in fibrotic progression, with focus on their signal transduction pathways and secretory signaling that enables their pro-fibrotic behavior. We then finish with a set of recommendations for future experimentation to develop a set of potential targets for anti-fibrotic therapeutic candidates. Understanding the cellular interactions between macrophages and fibroblasts provides valuable insights into potential therapeutic strategies to mitigate fibrotic disease progression.
MeSH
Cytokines, Cells, Growth, Myofibroblasts, Biochemistry, Fibrosis, Macrophages, Fibroblasts, Therapeutics, Tissues, Extracellular Matrix