When it comes to fighting disease, the immune system is crucial. The immune system is made up of many different types of cells, and one of those is macrophages. These cells are known to have a lot of different functions, and they change their physical characteristics, or phenotype, depending on what they are doing. The phenotype of a macrophage is determined by the environment surrounding it. There are two important types of macrophages to consider: proinflammatory macrophages and anti-inflammatory macrophages. In this study, we examined the effect of the natural compound emodin on macrophage regulation. To do this, we exposed undifferentiated, or non-specific, macrophages to environmental factors that would cause them to turn into proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory macrophages, also known as macrophage polarization. In addition to these environmental factors, we also exposed them to emodin, and found that emodin stopped the macrophages from turning into the proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory phenotypes, and therefore modulating these important immune cells. This means that emodin is a potential treatment option for diseases that rely on macrophage polarization, such as cancer.

Written and illustrated by Kaylie Lively