ReviewJournal of translational medicine2020
Alternatively activated macrophages; a double-edged sword in allergic asthma.
Review in Journal of translational medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 171 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
171 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 265 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of disrupted sleep on macrophage polarization: a systematic review and meta-analysis of animal studies.BMC immunology · 2025Pooled it
- Markers of the ageing macrophage: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Pooled it
- The transforming role of wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes for diabetic foot ulcer healing: a randomized controlled clinical trial.Stem cell research & therapy · 2025Trial
- IL-9R/Arg1 pathway promotes polyamine metabolism in human airway macrophages.The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology · 2026Article
- IFI30 reprograms glioblastoma-associated macrophage and induces immune evasion by MAFF/PTGS2 pathway.Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2026Article
- Embryonic and postnatal macrophages are necessary for proper tooth development and homeostasis.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Therapeutic potential of targeting macrophage polarization in metastatic gastric cancer: a review on core mechanisms and clinical progress.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026Review
- SREBP2 promotes macrophage alternative activation and allergic airway inflammation independent of cholesterol biosynthesis.Cell death & disease · 2026Article
- The anti‑inflammatory activity of 2‑iminothiazolidines: the role of PPARγ and M2 macrophage subpopulations.Inflammopharmacology · 2026Article
- Ferroptosis and macrophage polarization: mechanisms, interplay, and implications for medical applications.Cell death discovery · 2026Review
- The Emerging Role of Ly6G⁺Nur77⁺ Lung Macrophages in Type-2 Allergic Inflammation: A Comprehensive Review on Asthma Pathogenesis.Current allergy and asthma reports · 2026Review
- From early-onset asthma to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: potential mediating proteins and therapeutic targets.Briefings in bioinformatics · 2026Article
- Polarization of Hepatic Macrophages in Alveolar Echinococcosis and Its Role in Remodeling the Immune Microenvironment.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2026Review
- Regulation of mCell biology and toxicology · 2026Review
- Epimedin C attenuates airway inflammation and remodeling in Asthma by intervening M2 macrophage polarization via modulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- An Enzyme-Like Catalyzed Nanosheets for Redox Stress Oscillation Therapy Against Bacterial Infections.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Exploratory analysis of the impact of sex on sputum proteomic response to inhaled wood smoke in humans.Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology · 2026Article
- Targeting macrophage polarization: mechanisms and potential of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells therapy in acne treatment- a narrative review.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Unveiling Interleukin-40: A Novel Regulator of Macrophage and B Cell Function in Allergic Asthma.International journal of biological sciences · 2026Article
- Targeting the Epithelial Alarmin Axis with Biomedical Nanoparticles: A New Frontier in Allergic Asthma Therapy.International journal of nanomedicine · 2026Review
111 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMacrophages are heterogenous phagocytic cells with an important role in the innate immunity. They are, also, significant contributors in the adaptive immune system. Macrophages are the most abundant immune cells in the lung during allergic asthma, which is the most common chronic respiratory disease of both adults and children. Macrophages activated by Th1 cells are known as M1 macrophages while those activated by IL-4 and IL-13 are called alternatively activated macrophages (AAM) or M2 cells. AAM are subdivided into four distinct subtypes (M2a, M2b, M2c and M2d), depending on the nature of inducing agent and the expressed markers. BODY: IL-4 is the major effector cytokine in both alternative activation of macrophages and pathogenesis of asthma. Thus, the role of M2a macrophages in asthma is a major concern. However, this is controversial. Therefore, further studies are required to improve our knowledge about the role of IL-4-induced macrophages in allergic asthma, through precisive elucidation of the roles of specific M2a proteins in the pathogenesis of asthma. In the current review, we try to illustrate the different functions of M2a macrophages (protective and pathogenic roles) in the pathogenesis of asthma, including explanation of how different M2a proteins and markers act during the pathogenesis of allergic asthma. These include surface markers, enzymes, secreted proteins, chemokines, cytokines, signal transduction proteins and transcription factors.
conclusionsAAM is considered a double-edged sword in allergic asthma. Finally, we recommend further studies that focus on increased selective expression or suppression of protective and pathogenic M2a markers.
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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.