{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T16:31:49Z","timestamp":1789403509751,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":99,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,22]],"date-time":"2025-06-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750550400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research","award":["LR16IPT\/05"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["LR16IPT\/05"]}]},{"name":"\u201cAcip_Myopath\u201d project","award":["LR16IPT\/05"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["LR16IPT\/05"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Muscle dystrophies are a group of genetic disorders characterized by progressive muscle degeneration. Prednisone is a glucocorticoid drug widely used to prevent muscle weakness in these diseases. Despite its known beneficial role, the effect of intermittent delivery on monocytes\u2019 polarization and on dystrophic muscle microenvironment has not yet been thoroughly investigated. In this study, our aim was to identify the phenotype of monocyte subsets in blood and the expression of fibrosis-related genes in dystrophic muscle biopsies in patients receiving intermittent prednisone therapy. We found an increased rate of classical monocytes and a decreased rate of non-classical monocytes that expressed anti-inflammatory marker CD206 in treated patients. In dystrophic muscles, 21 fibrosis-related genes were altered, among which we identified CCAAT\/enhancer-binding protein beta CEBPB. Both classical monocytes and CEBPB are known for their roles in stimulating collagen 1 production, a probable marker hampering monocyte\/macrophage function. Hence, in some patients with muscular dystrophy, intermittent prednisone treatment could shift the monocytes\u2019 phenotype toward an M2, senescent-like profile. This seems to decrease the inflammatory infiltrate in muscle tissue, an observation that needs to be further confirmed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms26135992","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,23]],"date-time":"2025-06-23T09:08:44Z","timestamp":1750669724000},"page":"5992","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Profiles of Monocyte Subsets and Fibrosis-Related Genes in Patients with Muscular Dystrophy Undergoing Intermittent Prednisone Therapy"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"26","author":[{"given":"Asma","family":"Chikhaoui","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics (LR16IPT05), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Universit\u00e9 Tunis El Manar, El Manar I, Tunis 2092, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dorra","family":"Najjar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics (LR16IPT05), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Universit\u00e9 Tunis El Manar, El Manar I, Tunis 2092, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sami","family":"Bouchoucha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Service Orthop\u00e9die, H\u00f4pital d\u2019enfant B\u00e9chir Hamza, Tunis 1007, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rim","family":"Boussetta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Service Orthop\u00e9die, H\u00f4pital d\u2019enfant B\u00e9chir Hamza, Tunis 1007, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nadia Ben","family":"Achour","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LR18SP04, Department of Child and Adolescent Neurology, National Institute Mongi Ben Hmida of Neurology, Tunis 1007, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kalthoum","family":"Tizaoui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics (LR16IPT05), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Universit\u00e9 Tunis El Manar, El Manar I, Tunis 2092, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ichraf","family":"Kraoua","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LR18SP04, Department of Child and Adolescent Neurology, National Institute Mongi Ben Hmida of Neurology, Tunis 1007, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ilhem","family":"Turki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LR18SP04, Department of Child and Adolescent Neurology, National Institute Mongi Ben Hmida of Neurology, Tunis 1007, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5351-4775","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Houda","family":"Yacoub-Youssef","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics (LR16IPT05), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Universit\u00e9 Tunis El Manar, El Manar I, Tunis 2092, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mezzi, N., Messaoud, O., Mkaouar, R., Zitouna, N., Romdhane, S., Abdessalem, G., Charfeddine, C., Maazoul, F., Ouerteni, I., and Hamdi, Y. 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