Macrophages are important immune effector cells with significant plasticity and heterogeneity in the body immune system, and play an important role in normal physiological conditions and in the process of inflammation. It has been found that macrophage polarization involves a variety of cytokines and is a key link in immune regulation. Targeting macrophages by nanoparticles has a certain impact on the occurrence and development of a variety of diseases. Due to its characteristics, iron oxide nanoparticles have been used as the medium and carrier for cancer diagnosis and treatment, making full use of the special microenvironment of tumors to actively or passively aggregate drugs in tumor tissues, which has a good application prospect. However, the specific regulatory mechanism of reprogramming macrophages using iron oxide nanoparticles remains to be further explored. In this paper, the classification, polarization effect and metabolic mechanism of macrophages were firstly described. Secondly, the application of iron oxide nanoparticles and the induction of macrophage reprogramming were reviewed. Finally, the research prospect and difficulties and challenges of iron oxide nanoparticles were discussed to provide basic data and theoretical support for further research on the mechanism of the polarization effect of nanoparticles on macrophages.
Objective To summary the regulatory effect of mechanical stimulation on macrophage polarization in wound healing, and explore the application prospect of mechanical stimulation in tissue engineering. Methods The related domestic and foreign literature in recent years was extensive reviewed, and the different phenotypes of macrophages and their roles in wound healing, the effect of mechanical stimulation on macrophage polarization and its application in tissue engineering were analyzed. Results Macrophages have functional diversity, with two phenotypes: pro-inflammatory (M1 type) and anti-inflammatory (M2 type), and the cells exhibit different activation phenotypes and play corresponding functions under different stimuli. The mechanical force of different types, sizes, and amplitudes can directly or indirectly guide macrophages to transform into different phenotypes, and then affect tissue repair. This feature can be used in tissue engineering to selectively regulate macrophage polarization. Conclusion Mechanical stimulation plays an vital role in regulating macrophage polarization, but its specific role and mechanism remain ambiguous and need to be further explored.