Skin well-being in diabetes: Role of macrophages

Macrophages are key players in wound healing- along with mediating the acute inflammatory response, macrophages activate cutaneous epithelial cells and promote tissue repair. Diabetes complications, including diabetic chronic wounds, are accompanied by persistent inflammation and macrophage malfunction. Several studies indicate that hyperglycemia induces various alterations that affect macrophage function in wound healing including epigenetic changes, imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory modulators, and insensitivity to proliferative stimuli. In this review, we briefly summarize recent studies regarding those alterations and their implications on skin well-being in diabetes.