Dynamic Roles of Macrophage Autophagy in Tendon–Bone Junction Repair: A Review of the Mechanism

Tendon-bone healing has always been a difficult point in clinical orthopedics, tissue engineering, and sports medicine. The most important structure for stress transmission is the tendon-bone junction, which is the transition from soft tissue to hard tissue. Biological effects can be produced by a variety of cytokines in different cells. During the remodelling and repair of the tendon-bone junction, the key factor is the inflammatory microenvironment regulated by macrophages through various physiological processes such as autophagy, differentiation, and polarization, which mediate cytokine release and influence other cellular functions. This provides a theoretical basis for the development of new mechanisms for tendon-bone junction repair. This article aims to review the potential role of macrophage autophagy, differentiation, and polarization in the repair of tendon-bone injury. In addition, we propose that future research should integrate multidisciplinary approaches such as molecular biology and bioinformatics to conduct in-depth analyses of the dynamic networks of autophagy and polarization in macrophages, thereby guiding future research directions on the specific roles of macrophage autophagy in tendon-bone junction repair.