생화학분자생물학회

	Haengseok Song ( hssong@cha.ac.kr )
	2022~	Professor, Department of Biomedical Science, CHA University, KOREA
	2015~2021	Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Science, CHA University
	2011~2014	Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Science, CHA University
	2002~2005	Post-doc, Department of Pathology & Immunology, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
	1998~2002	Ph.D., Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA

Macrophages: A double-edged Sword in Female Reproduction and Disorders

Reproduction consists of sequential inflammation-like events, primarily within the endometrium, from ovulation to embryo implantation, decidualization and delivery. During the reproductive cycle, the endometrium repeatedly undergoes cyclic periods of proliferation, differentiation, tissue breakdown and repair without scarring. Owing to their phagocytic activity, macrophages, key players in innate immunity, are thought to play crucial roles in the endometrium. Endometrial macrophages actively participate in various stages of reproductive tissue remodeling, particularly during decidualization and pregnancy establishment. Traditionally considered simple bystanders that clear debris to prevent autoimmune responses in tissue homeostasis, macrophages are now recognized as main actors with broad functional plasticity that allows them to fine tune the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory responses during tissue inflammation, remodeling and repair. Homeostatic balance is determined by the sum of various mediators produced by two distinctly polarized macrophage subpopulations. The biased polarization of tissue-resident macrophages may contribute to the pathogenesis of various diseases, such as inflammation and cancer. Thus, understanding how macrophages contribute to endometrial homeostasis is crucial for deciphering the underlying mechanisms of various reproductive disorders. Nanomedicines using extracellular vesicles, nanoparticles and noncoding RNAs have recently been applied to modulate macrophage polarization and alleviate disease phenotypes. Despite these advances, the functions of endometrial macrophages under physiological and pathophysiological conditions remain poorly understood, which complicates the development of targeted therapies. Here we update the current understanding of the homeostatic function of macrophages and the putative contribution of endometrial macrophage dysfunction to reproductive disorders in women, along with innovative molecular therapeutics to resolve this issue.

Exp Mol Med. 2025 Feb;57(2):285-297. doi: 10.1038/s12276-025-01392-6.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39894821/