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Adult respiratory distress syndrome

Itaconate Promotes Inflammatory Responses in Tissue-resident Alveolar Macrophages and Exacerbates Acute Lung Injury

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Research conducted at Tongji University in Shanghai, People's Republic of China, has shed new light on the role of itaconate in inflammatory diseases, particularly in acute lung injury. According to the study, itaconate promotes the production of proinflammatory cytokines and augments the activation of the NACHT-, leucine-rich-repeat- (LRR), and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in resident alveolar macrophages (AMs). This finding contradicts the previously held view that itaconate has a therapeutic potential in multiple inflammatory diseases.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that itaconate promotes the production of proinflammatory cytokines and augments the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in resident alveolar macrophages (AMs).
  • The intratracheal transfer of bone-marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) reversed their responsiveness to itaconate, indicating an essential role of the alveolar microenvironment in shaping macrophage immunometabolism.
  • The study demonstrated that itaconate promotes AM-mediated inflammatory responses in vivo and aggravates lung injury.
  • The research has implications for the clinical application of itaconate in inflammatory diseases, suggesting that further investigations are needed to fully understand its role.
  • The study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Science and Technology Innovation Plan of Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, Top-level Clinical Discipline Project of Shanghai Pudong, and National Key Research & Development Program of China.
  • The research was conducted by a team of scientists led by Qiang Li, Tongji University, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Medicine, Dept. of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.
  • Additional authors on the study include Mengtian Shan, Zhibing Luo, Shengjie Deng, Linyu Ran, Quan Zhou, Huimin Wan, Jihui Ye, Zhongliang Guo, Feilong Wang, Song Zhang, Ximin Fan, David W. Morse, Joerg Herrmann, Chenchen Qian, and Yun Feng.

Statistics:

  • The study was published in Cell Metabolism, 2025;37(8):1750-1765.
  • The research received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Science and Technology Innovation Plan of Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, Top-level Clinical Discipline Project of Shanghai Pudong, and National Key Research & Development Program of China.
  • The study was conducted by a team of scientists from Tongji University, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Medicine, Dept. of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.
  • The research has implications for the clinical application of itaconate in inflammatory diseases.

Sources:

  • Itaconate Promotes Inflammatory Responses In Tissue-resident Alveolar Macrophages and Exacerbates Acute Lung Injury. Cell Metabolism, 2025;37(8):1750-1765.
  • NewsRx. Reports from Tongji University Highlight Recent Findings in Acute Lung Injury (Itaconate Promotes Inflammatory Responses In Tissue-resident Alveolar Macrophages and Exacerbates Acute Lung Injury). Health & Medicine Week. October 31, 2025; p 5168.

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