Immune cell metabolism

Immune cell metabolism refers to the collective metabolic pathways and processes that govern how immune cells generate energy and biosynthetic precursors necessary for their survival, activation, differentiation, proliferation, and effector functions. This includes anabolic pathways such as fatty acid synthesis for building cellular components and catabolic pathways like glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation for ATP generation. The metabolic state of an immune cell is closely linked to its function; for example, activated T cells switch from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis to support rapid growth and cytokine production. Similarly, amino acids like glutamine are essential fuels for the tricarboxylic acid cycle in many immune subsets. Dysregulation or reprogramming of these metabolic networks can influence the outcome of diseases such as cancer (where tumor microenvironments alter immune cell metabolism), autoimmunity (where altered energy use skews inflammatory responses), infection (as pathogens may hijack host immunometabolism), obesity/diabetes (through adipokines like leptin affecting immunity), neurodegeneration, and cardiovascular disorders. While targeting specific enzymes or transporters within these pathways is a growing area of therapeutic research ("immunometabolism"), "immune cell metabolism" itself is not a single molecular target but rather a broad functional concept encompassing many molecules across multiple families including enzymes, transporters, receptors involved in nutrient sensing/utilization.

Other names

ImmunometabolismMetabolic reprogramming of immune cellsCellular metabolism in immune cells