REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Inflammation
This article is part of the Research TopicExploring Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases Interaction with Inflammation: Biomarkers, Drug Targets, and Personalized Treatments through Multi-omics Data Integration, Volume IIView all 7 articles
Macrophage Polarization in Acute Myocardial Infarction: Multidimensional Regulation and Emerging Therapeutic Opportunities
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Yangtze University, JingzhouJingzhou, China
- 2Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
- 3Thyroid and Vascular Surgery Department, Jingzhou Hospital Affiliated to Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
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Macrophage polarization is a central determinant of the inflammatory response and tissue repair following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The dynamic transition from a pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype to an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype is critical for limiting myocardial injury and promoting functional recovery. Recent advances have uncovered complex regulatory mechanisms governing macrophage polarization, including metabolic reprogramming, immune signaling pathways, and alterations within the cardiac microenvironment. Elucidating these processes provides important insights for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies aimed at enhancing cardiac repair. This review summarizes current knowledge on macrophage polarization in AMI, with a particular focus on the multifaceted regulatory networks that modulate the balance between M1 and M2 macrophages. Emerging therapeutic approaches targeting these pathways—such as molecular interventions, gene editing technologies, nanomedicine-based delivery systems, and modulation through traditional Chinese medicine—hold significant promise for improving cardiac repair and preventing adverse remodeling. The integration of these strategies may offer novel opportunities for the clinical management of AMI, ultimately advancing efforts to optimize heart recovery after infarction.
Keywords: acute myocardial infarction, Immune Modulation, Inflammatory microenvironment, intervention strategies, Macrophage polarization
Received: 22 Sep 2025; Accepted: 16 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ye, Wang, Wan and Guo. 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: Jiawei Guo
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