Innate and adaptive immunity participate in and regulate numerous human diseases. Increasing evidence implies that metabolic reprogramming mediates immune cell functional changes during immune responses. In this review, we present and discuss our current understanding of metabolic regulation in different immune cells and their subsets in response to pathological stimuli. An interactive biochemical and molecular model was established to characterize metabolic reprogramming and their functional implication in anti-inflammatory, immune resolution, and proinflammatory responses. We summarize 2 major features of metabolic reprogramming in inflammatory stages in innate and adaptive immune cells: (1) energy production and biosynthesis reprogramming, including increased glycolysis and decreased oxidative phosphorylation, to secure faster ATP production and biosynthesis for defense response and damage repair and (2) epigenetic reprogramming, including enhanced histone acetylation and suppressed DNA methylation, due to altered accessibility of acetyl/methyl group donor and metabolite-modulated enzymatic activity. Finally, we discuss current strategies of metabolic and epigenetic therapy in cardiovascular disease and recommend cell-specific metabolic and gene-targeted site-specific epigenetic alterations for future therapies.
Keywords: immune response; inflammatory disease; metabolic reprogramming.