# Oncometabolites and Hypoxia-Regulated Exosomes Shape HIF-Driven Macrophage Programs Across Type 2 Diabetes, Atherosclerosis, and Cancer

## TL;DR

This paper explores how oncometabolites and exosomes under hypoxia influence macrophage behavior in diabetes, atherosclerosis, and cancer.

## Contribution

The study reveals a unified mechanism linking hypoxia, oncometabolites, and exosomes in shaping macrophage programs across multiple diseases.

## Key findings

- Hypoxia in adipose tissue drives M1-like macrophage polarization in T2D.
- Lactate and succinate promote immunosuppressive TAMs and M2-like programming in tumors.
- Exosome-delivered miR-301a-3p suppresses PTEN and enhances immunosuppression.

## Abstract

Oncometabolites and hypoxia-regulated exosomes orchestrate hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)–driven macrophage reprogramming across chronic cardiometabolic and oncologic conditions. In type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity, regional hypoxia in expanding white adipose tissue (WAT) reconfigures macrophage immunometabolism and chemokine signaling, recruits C-C chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2+) monocytes, and skews adipose-tissue macrophages toward M1-like programs that sustain low-grade inflammation and blunt the physiological M1-to-M2 transition during wound repair. In atherosclerotic plaques, lipid-core hypoxia stabilizes HIF-1α, amplifies nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells/reactive oxygen species (NF-κB/ROS) signaling, increases matrix metalloproteinase-2/-9 (MMP-2/-9) release, and reduces ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1)-mediated cholesterol efflux, weakening the fibrous cap. In tumors, poorly perfused niches accumulate lactate and succinate, which act as paracrine cues. Lactate activates PKA/cAMP pathways and promotes immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), whereas succinate signals through succinate receptor 1 (SUCNR1) to reinforce HIF-1α–dependent transcription and M2-like programming. In parallel, hypoxia-regulated exosomes deliver microRNAs such as miR-301a-3p, which suppress phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and activate PI3Kγ, thereby augmenting immunosuppression and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression. Clinically, this hypoxia–oncometabolite–exosome triad links oxygen debt with macrophage state, plaque destabilization, impaired wound repair, and tumor immune escape. Translational entry points include selective HIF-2α inhibition, phosphoinositide 3-kinase gamma (PI3Kγ) blockade, SUCNR1 targeting, and exosome-based miRNA modulation, while a biomarker panel comprising HIF-1α, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), and MMP-9 offers a pragmatic readout of hypoxia burden, macrophage programming, and therapeutic response. We conducted a focused narrative review (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science; English; 2003–2025), prioritizing mechanistic and translational studies on hypoxia–HIF, lactate/succinate, and hypoxia-regulated exosomes across T2D, atherosclerosis, and cancer.