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Updated: May 16, 2025
A Controlled Mouse Model for Neonatal Polymicrobial Sepsis
Published on: January 27, 2019
Spermidine restricts neonatal inflammation via metabolic shaping of polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor
Jiale Chen1,2, Lin Zhu1, Zhaohai Cui1
1Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, International Joint Laboratory of Ocular Diseases (Ministry of Education), State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
Abstract:
Newborns exhibit a heightened vulnerability to inflammatory disorders due to their underdeveloped immune system, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we report that plasma spermidine is correlated with the maturity of human newborns and reduced risk of inflammation. Administration of spermidine led to the remission of neonatal inflammation in mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that spermidine enhanced the generation of polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs) via downstream eIF5A hypusination. Genetic deficiency or pharmacological inhibition of deoxyhypusine synthase (DHPS), a key enzyme of hypusinated eIF5A (eIF5AHyp), diminished the immunosuppressive activity of PMN-MDSCs, leading to aggravated neonatal inflammation. The eIF5AHyp pathway was found to enhance the immunosuppressive function via histone acetylation-mediated epigenetic transcription of immunosuppressive signatures in PMN-MDSCs. These findings demonstrate the spermidine-eIF5AHyp metabolic axis as a master switch to restrict neonatal inflammation.
