Inflammatory
dermatosis is characterized by persistent inflammatory infiltration and hard repair of diseased skin. As a member of the human innate immune cells, macrophages usually show different phenotypes in different diseases. The macrophage phenotype (M1/M2) imbalance caused by the increase of M1 macrophages or the decrease of M2 macrophages is common in inflammatory
dermatosis. In recent years, with the deepening research on inflammatory
skin diseases, more and more natural medicines/traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), represented by
Shikonin and Angelica Dahurica, have shown their
therapeutic effects by affecting the polarization of macrophages. This review introduced macrophage polarization in different inflammatory
dermatosis, such as
psoriasis. Then summarized the natural medicines/TCMs that have potential
therapeutic effects so far and introduced their mechanisms of action and the
proteins/signal pathways involved. We found that the TCMs with
therapeutic effects listed in this review are closely related to the theory of five flavors and four properties of Chinese medicinal, and most of them are bitter, acrid and sweet. Bitter TCMs have
antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects, which may improve the persistent
inflammation of M1 macrophage infiltration. Acrid TCMs have the effect of promoting blood circulation, while sweet TCMs have the effect of nourishing. These 2 flavors may accelerate the repair of skin lesions of inflammatory
dermatosis by affecting M2 macrophages. In conclusion, we hope to provide sufficient knowledge for natural medicine research and the development of inflammatory
dermatosis related to macrophage phenotype imbalance.