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TREM2 modulates lipid metabolism to alleviate airway inflammation in asthma: A potential therapeutic target
Zhengpeng Sun1, Xuan Wang1, Chen Shi1
1Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Children's Health and Chinese Medicine, State Key Laboratory on Technologies for Chinese Medicine Pharmaceutical Process Control and Intelligent Manufacture, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; Medical Metabolomics Center, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Abstract:
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and immune cell infiltration. TREM2 (Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid cells 2), known for its role in lipid metabolism and inflammation, was found to be upregulated in asthma. Using Trem2-/- mice, we observed that TREM2 deletion significantly reduces airway inflammation and AHR. This effect is achieved through the modulation of triglyceride (TG) metabolism, leading to increased TG synthesis, decreased lipolysis, and reduced release of pro-inflammatory free fatty acids (FFAs), particularly arachidonic acid. The study reveals a novel role for TREM2 in regulating lipid metabolism in asthma, suggesting that targeting TREM2 may offer new therapeutic opportunities for managing asthma and related inflammatory conditions.
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