Thymic stromal lymphopoietin promotes macrophage polarization
Thymic stromal lymphopoietin signaling (TSLP) skewed the aortic macrophage balance towards the proinflammatory M1 phenotype rather than the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. In vitro, TSLP directly induced M1 while inhibited M2 macrophage polarization. Transcriptomics identified that TSLP upregulated pro-inflammatory pathways in macrophages, including positive regulation of cytokine production, regulation of immune effector process, cytokine cytokine receptor interaction and chemokine signaling pathway.