Fig. 7
From: Saturated very long-chain fatty acids regulate macrophage plasticity and invasiveness
Proposed mechanism for how VLCFAs promote a pro-inflammatory and pro-invasive phenotype of human macrophages. In an acute pro-inflammatory response, macrophages react by increasing the levels of saturated VLCFAs to create a receptive environment in the plasma membrane that enables pro-inflammatory signalling and the production of factors required for invasion and adhesion. When applied externally to mimic the condition in acute cerebral X-ALD lesions, VLCFAs activate the CD36/JNK axis, thus also promoting a pro-inflammatory pro-invasive macrophage response culminating in the secretion of chemokines and matrix-degrading enzymes