M1 and M2 macrophages within human carotid plaques express different NPY receptors: are they involved in macrophage polarization?

Aim: Macrophages are central immune response players, promoting atherosclerosis progression towards a vulnerable or, at the contrary, to a stable phenotype, depending on their functional polarization. Recent evidence outlines the role of Neuropeptide Y (NPY), released by sympathetic fibers and produced also by endothelial cells, on chemotactic recruitment of human dendritic cells. Preliminary results suggest that NPY may drive macrophage...