Heparan sulfate proteoglycans fine-tune macrophage inflammation via IFN-β

Macrophages are important mediators of diseases associated with metabolic inflammation such as obesity and atherosclerosis. In this Stimulus we discuss recent findings showing that heparan sulfate proteoglycans on macrophages serve as an important inflammatory rheostat. This observation has significant implications as the degree of macrophage proteoglycan sulfation can determine and possibly predict disease outcomes of metabolic inflammatory disorders. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.