Differential regulation of iron homeostasis during human macrophage polarized activation.

Iron metabolism in inflammation has been mostly characterized in macrophages exposed to pathogens or inflammatory conditions, mimicked by the combined action of LPS and IFN-gamma (M1 polarization). However, macrophages can undergo an alternative type of activation stimulated by Th2 cytokines, and acquire a role in cell growth and tissue repair control (M2 polarization). We characterized the expression of genes related to iron homeostasis in fully differentiated unpolarized (M0), M1 and M2 human macrophages.