Research Progress on Lactylation of Macrophage Polarization to Intervene in Renal Tubulointerstitial Fibrosis

Macrophages are one of the key inflammatory cells involved in kidney injury; they can adapt their phenotype in response to environmental changes, polarizing into subpopulations with different functions and exerting both pro-fibrotic and anti-fibrotic effects.

Phenotypic changes are closely related to epigenetic regulation. Lactylation, as a novel form of post-translational protein modification, plays a crucial role in regulating macrophage polarization and can direct the differentiation and maturation of macrophages into subtypes such as M1 and M2. Therefore, modulating macrophage polarization through lactylation may alter the progression of the renal inflammatory response, thereby influencing the course of tubulointerstitial fibrosis.