REVIEW article
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Clinical Infectious Diseases
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1576704
This article is part of the Research TopicImmune Insights into Orthopedic Infections: Mechanisms, Biomarkers, and PreventionView all 10 articles
The immune microenvironment in bone infections: from immune evasion mechanisms to immune modulation strategies
Provisionally accepted
- Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang, China
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Bone infections, particularly osteomyelitis, are bone diseases induced by pathogenic microorganisms, posing significant clinical challenges. The immune system plays a critical role in the occurrence and progression of these infections. The complexity of the immune microenvironment not only affects immune cell function and inflammation and determines the outcome of bone infections. With ongoing research, scholars have gradually recognized the pivotal roles of immune evasion mechanisms and immune modulation strategies in bone infections. This review explores the immune microenvironment in bone infections, focusing on the latest research advancements regarding immune evasion mechanisms and immune modulation strategies. In bone infections, especially chronic osteomyelitis, pathogens often evade host immune system clearance through biofilm formation, changes in immune phenotypes, and immune tolerance. This study summarizes the multifaceted roles of immune cells, such as macrophages, T cells, and osteoclasts, in bone infections and reveals how dynamic changes in the immune microenvironment impact the initiation, development, and chronicity of the infection. Additionally, immune modulators, such as cytokines, are discussed with an emphasis on their balancing roles in promoting bone repair and controlling inflammation. By analyzing the effectiveness and limitations of current immune therapeutic strategies, the review proposes possibilities and future directions for precisely regulating immune responses in bone infection treatment. This review provides a theoretical foundation for understanding the immune mechanisms underlying bone infections and their clinical treatments, aiming to offer new perspectives for the development of innovative immune intervention strategies.
Keywords: bone infection, immune microenvironment, Immune Evasion, Immune Modulation, Immunotherapy
Received: 14 Feb 2025; Accepted: 01 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Chen, Nan, Ye, Wang, Ning and Wang. 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:
Shun-yu Ning, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang, China
Qing-feng Wang, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang, China
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