The scope of functional heterogeneity in macrophages has been defined by two polarized end states known as M1 and M2, which exhibit the proinflammatory activities necessary for host defense and the tissue repair activities required for restoration of homeostasis, respectively. Macrophage populations in different tissue locations exist in distinct phenotypic states across this M1/M2 spectrum and the development and abundance of individual subsets result from the local and systemic action of myeloid colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) including M-CSF and GM-CSF. These factors have relatively non-overlapping roles in the differentiation and maintenance of specific macrophage subsets. Furthermore, there is now evidence that CSFs may also regulate macrophage phenotype during challenge. Cell culture studies from multiple laboratories demonstrate that macrophages developed in the presence of GM-CSF exhibit amplified response to M1 polarizing stimuli while M-CSF potentiates responses to M2 stimuli. As a consequence, these factors can be important determinants of the magnitude and duration of both acute and chronic inflammatory pathology and may, therefore, be potential targets for therapeutic manipulation in specific human disease settings.

No abstract

IL-17 contributes to inflammatory response in part by promoting enhanced expression of chemokines, such as CXCL1, by prolonging the t1/2 of this constitutively unstable mRNA. Although IL-17 is a weak stimulus for transcription of the CXCL1 gene, it strongly potentiates message accumulation via stabilization when the mRNA is transcribed in cells stimulated with TNF. In myeloid cells, LPS-induced CXCL1 mRNA stabilization is dependent on AUUUA-containing sequence motifs that are recognized by the RNA binding protein tristetraprolin (TTP). Using deletion and site-specific mutagenesis, we report that IL-17–mediated stabilization of CXCL1 mRNA in nonmyeloid cells depends on a sequence that does not contain the AUUUA motif. Furthermore, a specific two-nucleotide mutation within this region markedly abrogates sensitivity for IL-17–mediated stabilization. Consistent with this finding, the IL-17–sensitive sequence does not exhibit increased instability in the presence of TTP, and CXCL1 mRNA remains unstable and can be stabilized in response to treatment with IL-17 in embryo fibroblasts from mice in which the TTP gene has been deleted. Whereas the RNA binding protein KSRP has been shown to participate in regulating the instability of human CXCL8 mRNA, inhibitory RNA-based reduction in KSRP does not effect the instability mediated by the IL-17–sensitive sequence motif. These findings suggest that IL-17–mediated chemokine mRNA stabilization in nonmyeloid cells uses a mechanism that is distinct from that operating to control AU-rich mRNA stability in myeloid cells.

Non-alcohol-associated fatty liver/steatohepatitis (NAFL/NASH) has become the leading cause of liver disease worldwide. NASH, an advanced form of NAFL, can be progressive and more susceptible to developing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently, lifestyle interventions are the most essential and effective strategies for preventing and controlling NAFL without the development of fibrosis. While there are still limited appropriate drugs specifically to treat NAFL/NASH, growing progress is being seen in elucidating the pathogenesis and identifying therapeutic targets. In this review, we discussed recent developments in etiology and prospective therapeutic targets, as well as pharmacological candidates in pre/clinical trials and patents, with a focus on diabetes, hepatic lipid metabolism, inflammation, and fibrosis. Importantly, growing evidence elucidates that the disruption of the gut–liver axis and microbe-derived metabolites drive the pathogenesis of NAFL/NASH. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) act as a signaling mediator, resulting in lipid accumulation, macrophage and hepatic stellate cell activation, further promoting inflammation and liver fibrosis progression during the development of NAFL/NASH. Targeting gut microbiota or EVs may serve as new strategies for the treatment of NAFL/NASH. Finally, other mechanisms, such as cell therapy and genetic approaches, also have enormous therapeutic potential. Incorporating drugs with different mechanisms and personalized medicine may improve the efficacy to better benefit patients with NAFL/NASH.