Are M1 and M2 macrophages Effectual Players in Pathological Conditions?

Pathologic inflammatory conditions are frequently correlated with dynamic alterations through macrophage activation, with classically activated M1 cells associated with promoting and sustaining inflammation and M2 cells implicated in resolving or smoldering chronic inflammation. Inflammation is a common feature of various chronic diseases, and it has direct involvement in the emergence and progression of these conditions. Macrophages participate in an autoregulatory loop characterizing inflammatory process, as they produce a wide range of biologically active mediators that exert either deleterious or beneficial effects during inflammation. Therefore, balancing the ratio of M1/M2 macrophages can help to ameliorate the inflammatory landscape of pathological conditions. This review will explore the role of macrophage polarization in distant pathological inflammatory conditions, such as cancer, autoimmunity, renal inflammation, stroke, and atherosclerosis, while sharing macrophage-driven pathogenesis.