Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (574 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Any of several ways in which living cells of an organism communicate with one another, whether by direct contact between cells or by means of chemical signals carried by neurotransmitter substances, hormones, and cyclic AMP.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Cell Communications; Communication, Cell; Communications, Cell; Cell Interaction; Cell Interactions; Interaction, Cell; Interactions, Cell; Cell-to-Cell Interaction.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Cell Physiological Phenomena
- Narrower topics
- Autocrine Communication; Bystander Effect; Embryonic Induction; Paracrine Communication; Quorum Sensing
- See also
- Intercellular Junctions; Second Messenger Systems; Signal Transduction
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 61,143 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Cell Communication” (counts retrieved 2026-10-29). 12,238 of them (20.0%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 20,314 records.
Reviews account for 14,805 records (24.2%) and meta-analyses for 8. Randomized controlled trials number 34 (0.1%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 13,319 |
| 2000-2009 | 15,272 |
| 2010-2019 | 20,314 |
| 2020 onward | 12,238 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 14,805 | 24.2% |
| Meta-analyses | 8 | 0.0% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 34 | 0.1% |
Method: PubMed query "Cell Communication"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-29.
Reading the evidence in molecular biology
Molecular biology establishes mechanisms through controlled experiments, often in simplified systems such as purified proteins, cultured cells or model organisms. Such work can show what is possible in a defined system, but whether a pathway matters in a whole organism or in human disease needs further evidence. Check the experimental system, whether findings were reproduced by independent groups, and whether the authors tested the mechanism directly or inferred it from correlation.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skeletal Muscle as an Auto-, Para- and Endocrine Organ: The Role of Myokines in Muscle Metabolism and Other Metabolic Organs | 2025 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 10 | cc by PMID 41511097 · PMC12849793 |
| Physiological relevance of autocrine melatonin signaling in pineal and extrapineal sites: a systematic review | 2026 | Systematic review Design not recorded in structured metadata | 8 | cc by PMID 41552877 · DOI · PMC12915497 |
| Interactions between neutrophil extracellular traps and macrophages: the key to inflammatory diseases | 2026 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 7 | cc by PMID 41869325 · DOI · PMC13002455 |
Skeletal Muscle as an Auto-, Para- and Endocrine Organ: The Role of Myokines in Muscle Metabolism and Other Metabolic Organs [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Skeletal musculature represents the largest organ in the human body, playing a vital role in systemic metabolism, physiological functions, and glucose homeostasis.
- Closing excerpt
- Key words Skeletal muscle cells " Myokines " Secretome " Autocrine effect " Paracrine effect.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (214 words)
Skeletal musculature represents the largest organ in the human body, playing a vital role in systemic metabolism, physiological functions, and glucose homeostasis. Skeletal muscles are also a significant source of multiple humoral factors, including myokines, which are, as part of the muscular secretome, involved in cellular signaling within and outside of the muscle. Myokines are a group of cytokines that exert a major influence on muscle metabolism through autocrine mechanisms and are involved in para- or endocrine regulation in organs outside of muscle tissue, such as the pancreas, adipose tissue, liver, heart, bone, gastrointestinal tract, and brain. In the future, these findings could be crucial for the identification of important biomarkers used for the monitoring of physical activity in the treatment of pathologies such as intensive care-associated muscle wasting, sarcopenia, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, etc. As skeletal muscle tissue is intrinsically linked to multiple types of tissues and organs metabolically, functionally, and most importantly, regionally, there can be a significant overlap between the auto- and paracrine effects of myokines, depending on the presence of that myokine. The following section will discuss the auto-, para-, and endocrine effects of some of the myo-inducible cytokines on skeletal muscles and adjacent tissue types. Key words Skeletal muscle cells " Myokines " Secretome " Autocrine effect " Paracrine effect.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41511097 · PMC12849793
Physiological relevance of autocrine melatonin signaling in pineal and extrapineal sites: a systematic review [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Beyond the pineal gland, melatonin is produced locally in many extrapineal organs, where it mediates local tissue homeostasis.
- Closing excerpt
- Although there is a translational potential, thorough mechanistic human research and better assays are required due to model heterogeneity and scarcity of human data.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (229 words)
Beyond the pineal gland, melatonin is produced locally in many extrapineal organs, where it mediates local tissue homeostasis. However, little attention is paid to the physiological role of autocrine melatonin signaling across body organs. This study synthesizes original data to address this gap, as gaining insight into this topic could lead to new therapeutic approaches for diseases associated with melatonin. This systematic review used a narrative synthesis, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guideline standards to synthesize original articles published between January 2000 and July 2025, using the Wiley Online Library and PubMed databases. From the 41 studies reviewed, various targets for the physiological relevance of autocrine melatonin signaling in pineal and extrapineal sites were noted. In descending order, the targets were immunoregulatory switch (8 studies), ovary and reproductive system (7 studies), pineal gland (6 studies), gut (5 studies), skin and hair follicles (3 studies), retina (3 studies), testes (3 studies), liver and metabolic tissues (2 studies), bone (2 studies), cardiovascular/endothelial compartment (1 study), and mitochondria (1 study). A layer of melatoninergic biology that is different from the traditional pineal endocrine signal and has biological and clinical significance is autocrine melatonin signaling in the pineal and numerous extrapineal locations. Although there is a translational potential, thorough mechanistic human research and better assays are required due to model heterogeneity and scarcity of human data.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41552877 · DOI · PMC12915497
Interactions between neutrophil extracellular traps and macrophages: the key to inflammatory diseases [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Interactions between neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and macrophages play a critical role in the initiation and progression of inflammatory diseases.
- Closing excerpt
- Therefore, this article systematically reviews the mechanisms of NETs-macrophage interactions and their pathological roles in various inflammatory diseases, aiming to offer a theoretical foundation and translational potential for future research.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (131 words)
Interactions between neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and macrophages play a critical role in the initiation and progression of inflammatory diseases. NETs regulate macrophage polarization and function by releasing components such as DNA, histones, and granule proteins, as well as by activating multiple signaling pathways. In turn, macrophages modulate the formation and clearance of NETs through the secretion of cytokines and proteases. This bidirectional interaction forms a positive feedback loop in autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and the tumor microenvironment, exacerbating inflammatory responses and tissue injury. Investigating the specific mechanisms underlying the NETs-macrophage interplay may provide novel targeted therapeutic strategies for inflammatory diseases. Therefore, this article systematically reviews the mechanisms of NETs-macrophage interactions and their pathological roles in various inflammatory diseases, aiming to offer a theoretical foundation and translational potential for future research.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41869325 · DOI · PMC13002455
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Cell communication and relevant signaling pathways in osteogenesis-angiogenesis coupling [4]
- Research article Lipid metabolism, remodelling and intercellular transfer in the CNS [5]
- Research article Extracellular vesicles in cancer´s communication: messages we can read and how to answer [6]
- Research article Cellular crosstalk in fibrosis: Insights into macrophage and fibroblast dynamics [7]
- Research article Extracellular Vesicles and Cellular Homeostasis [8]
- Research article Understanding Quorum-Sensing and Biofilm Forming in Anaerobic Bacterial Communities [9]
References
- Horváth L, Pekař M, Švagera Z, Horká V, Mráz M, Bužga M. Skeletal Muscle as an Auto-, Para- and Endocrine Organ: The Role of Myokines in Muscle Metabolism and Other Metabolic Organs. . 2025. PMID 41511097 · PMC12849793
- Ndinganire G, Ntamukunzi G, Alagbonsi AI. Physiological relevance of autocrine melatonin signaling in pineal and extrapineal sites: a systematic review. . 2026. PMID 41552877 · DOI · PMC12915497
- Shan X, Fan X, Geng X, Liang Y, Zhang J, Yang Y. Interactions between neutrophil extracellular traps and macrophages: the key to inflammatory diseases. . 2026. PMID 41869325 · DOI · PMC13002455
- Li S, Cai X, Guo J, Li X, Li W, Liu Y, et al.. Cell communication and relevant signaling pathways in osteogenesis-angiogenesis coupling. Bone Res. 2025. PMID 40195313 · DOI · PMC11977258
- Vanherle S, Loix M, Miron VE, Hendriks JJA, Bogie JFJ. Lipid metabolism, remodelling and intercellular transfer in the CNS. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2025. PMID 39972160 · DOI
- Semeradtova A, Liegertova M, Herma R, Capkova M, Brignole C, Del Zotto G. Extracellular vesicles in cancer´s communication: messages we can read and how to answer. Mol Cancer. 2025. PMID 40108630 · DOI · PMC11921637
- Froom ZSCS, Callaghan NI, Davenport Huyer L. Cellular crosstalk in fibrosis: Insights into macrophage and fibroblast dynamics. J Biol Chem. 2025. PMID 40334985 · DOI · PMC12167814
- Ngo JM, Williams JK, Zhang C, Saleh AH, Liu XM, Ma L, et al.. Extracellular Vesicles and Cellular Homeostasis. Annu Rev Biochem. 2025. PMID 40101210 · DOI
- Markowska K, Szymanek-Majchrzak K, Pituch H, Majewska A. Understanding Quorum-Sensing and Biofilm Forming in Anaerobic Bacterial Communities. Int J Mol Sci. 2024. PMID 39684519 · DOI · PMC11641729
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-29.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.