Macrophage Polarization in Skin Wound Healing: Progress in Biology and Therapeutics

The morphological and functional barriers caused by pathological scars are extremely painful for patients. Up to now, pathological scar poses a big unmet medical challenge for plastic surgeons and dermatologists worldwide. Macrophage polarization has shown a non-negligible effect on wound healing and scar formation. However, the role of macrophages in wound healing and pathological scar formation is still controversial. To summarize the latest data on probing biological functions of macrophage polarization in wound healing and scar formation and target macrophages in wound healing, we particularly paid attention to studies on different groups of macrophages, the transition among those groups, and modulators regulating the transition process. A comprehensive understanding of macrophage polarization in wound healing is certain to facilitate the development of new and efficient therapeutic modalities for pathological scar.