Double immunofluorescence with CD206 and CD68. The immunostaining shows CD206+ macrophages (green), CD68+ macrophages (red), and colocalization of CD206+ and CD68+ macrophages (yellow). Representative image of a localized infiltrate where most of CD68+ do not colocalize with CD206+ macrophages, showing an M1 predominance. Author: Andrea Bravo
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are immune-mediated diseases characterized by muscle weakness and inflammatory infiltrates in muscle biopsies. Macrophages play a crucial role in skeletal muscle’s inflammatory response and tissue repair processes.
In a study performed by researcher Andrea Bravo Gómez and led by Anais Mariscal Rodríguez at the Inflammatory Diseases group, and Eduard Gallardo Vigo at the Neuromuscular Diseases group, researchers used a double immunofluorescence staining method to differentiate between pro-inflammatory (M1) and anti-inflammatory/repair (M2) macrophages.
Notably, idiopatic inflammatory myopathies biopsies had the lowest proportion of M2 macrophages, suggesting a prevailing pro-inflammatory environment in affected muscles.
This study enhances our understanding of macrophage involvement in muscle pathologies and highlights the potential of macrophage analysis for clinical applications. Larger cohort studies are needed to validate these findings and explore macrophage subtypes in specific muscle pathology subgroups.
