ArticleMolecular biology of the cell2018
Interstitial flow promotes macrophage polarization toward an M2 phenotype.
Article in Molecular biology of the cell, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 87 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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Who cites it
87 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 122 citations in OpenAlex.
- Macrophage mechanobiology: from sensing to disease.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Pooled it
- Modeling Immunity In Vitro: Slices, Chips, and Engineered Tissues.Annual review of biomedical engineering · 2021Pooled it
- Piezo-type mechanosensitive ion channel component 1: a mechano-bioenergetic transducer in the tumour microenvironment.Annals of medicine · 2026Review
- Integrin-mediated mechanotransduction in the tumor microenvironment: macrophage-centered signaling mechanisms and immune remodeling.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Review
- Continuous low-intensity ultrasound influences the transcriptomic profile in M1 macrophages by downregulating inflammation and promoting M2-like markers.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Mechanical regulation of microenvironment remodeling in brain tumors: from mechanism to therapy.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2026Review
- Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis from a multiscale mechanobiology perspective: Mechanisms and future therapeutic prospects.iScience · 2026Review
- Mechanical communication and function regulation of immune cells.Fundamental research · 2026Review
- CAR-macrophages: a new chapter in cancer immunotherapy.Acta biochimica et biophysica Sinica · 2026Article
- Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages Loaded with Boron Carbide Nanoparticles Targeting the Glioblastoma Microenvironment for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy.International journal of nanomedicine · 2026Article
- Macrophages in Colorectal Cancer: from Normal Mucosa to Distant Metastasis: Beyond the M1/M2 Paradigm.Journal of Cancer · 2026Review
- Fluid Shear Stress Modulates Inflammation in Breast Cancer Microenvironment.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Microphysiological systems for metastasis research: a stepwise approach.Cellular oncology (Dordrecht, Netherlands) · 2025Review
- Lymphatic metastasis in pancreatic cancer: from bedside to bench and back.Cancer metastasis reviews · 2025Review
- Biomechanics of the tumor extracellular matrix and regulatory T cells: regulatory mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2025Review
- Nanoscale acoustic oscillator for mechanoimmunology: NAOMI.Science advances · 2025Article
- Engineering multifunctional surface topography to regulate multiple biological responses.Biomaterials · 2025Review
- Macrophage Polarization Profiling in Dynamic Culture System.Cellular and molecular bioengineering · 2025Article
- Clustered macrophages cooperate to eliminate tumors via coordinated intrudopodia.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Mechanical interactions impact the functions of immune cells and their application in immunoengineering.Advanced therapeutics · 2025Article
27 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Tumor tissues are characterized by an elevated interstitial fluid flow from the tumor to the surrounding stroma. Macrophages in the tumor microenvironment are key contributors to tumor progression. While it is well established that chemical stimuli within the tumor tissues can alter macrophage behaviors, the effects of mechanical stimuli, especially the flow of interstitial fluid in the tumor microenvironment, on macrophage phenotypes have not been explored. Here, we used three-dimensional biomimetic models to reveal that macrophages can sense and respond to pathophysiological levels of interstitial fluid flow reported in tumors (∼3 µm/s). Specifically, interstitial flow (IF) polarizes macrophages toward an M2-like phenotype via integrin/Src-mediated mechanotransduction pathways involving STAT3/6. Consistent with this flow-induced M2 polarization, macrophages treated with IF migrate faster and have an enhanced ability to promote cancer cell migration. Moreover, IF directs macrophages to migrate against the flow. Since IF emanates from the tumor to the surrounding stromal tissues, our results suggest that IF could not only induce M2 polarization of macrophages but also recruit these M2 macrophages toward the tumor masses, contributing to cancer cell invasion and tumor progression. Collectively, our study reveals that IF could be a critical regulator of tumor immune environment.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.