On the promise of glycogen phosphorylase inhibition in acute inflammation

How glycogen metabolism directly regulates macrophages in the acute inflammatory state is not well understood. In the recent issue of Nature Communications, Ma et al. provide new insight into this process, demonstrating that glycogenolysis-driven pentose phosphate pathway and UDP-glucose-driven P2Y14 receptor promote an inflammatory phenotype in macrophages. They show that in vivo blockade of glycogenolysis is sufficient to rescue survival in peritonitis, hepatitis, and sepsis. Their results hold implications for the treatment of acute inflammatory disorders at large.