Metabolic reprogramming regulates macrophage polarization and its roles at the maternal-fetal interface

Immune responses at the maternal-fetal interface play a vital role in the establishment, maintenance and delivery of normal pregnancy. Appropriate macrophage polarization and its biological function are the basis of maintaining normal immune microenvironment of the maternal-fetal interface. On the contrary, the abnormal polarization both spatially and temporally will lead to a series of pregnancy-related major diseases, such as pre-eclampsia, premature birth. Metabolic reprogramming is the responses of cells to key changes in the environment, which can regulate macrophage polarization, and make them exhibit diverse biological functions. In this review, we focus on the metabolic characteristic of macrophages, and how metabolic reprogramming regulates their polarization at the maternal-fetal interface and what the roles of the process have in normal and pathological pregnancies. Key words: Metabolic reprogramming; Macrophage polarization; Maternal-fetal interface; Inflammation; Pregnancy