Search

Article The ApoA-I mimetic peptide 5A enhances remyelination by promoting clearance and degradation of myelin debris Graphical abstract Highlights d ApoA-I mimetic peptide 5A enhances remyelination in a phagocyte-dependent manner d In addition to promoting lipid efflux, peptide 5A enhances clearance of myelin debris d Peptide 5A drives clearance of myelin debris via the fatty acid translocase CD36 We thank M.P. Tulleners for excellent technical assistance. The work was financially supported by the Research Foundation of Flanders (FWO Vlaanderen; 1S15519N, G099618FWO, and 12J9119N) and the Interreg V-A EMR program (EURLIPIDS, EMR23). The funding agencies had no role in the design, analysis, or writing of the article.

Failure of remyelination underlies the progressive nature of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Why endogenous repair mechanisms frequently fail in these disorders is poorly understood. However, there is now evidence indicating that this is related to an overly inflammatory microenvironment combined with the intrinsic inability of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) to differentiate into mature myelinating cells. Previously, we found that phloretin, a flavonoid abundantly present in apples and strawberries, reduces neuroinflammation by driving macrophages toward an antiinflammatory phenotype. Here, we show that phloretin also markedly stimulates remyelination in ex vivo and in vivo animal models. Improved remyelination was attributed to a direct impact of phloretin on OPC maturation and occurred independently from alterations in microglia function and inflammation. We found, mechanistically, that phloretin acts as a direct ligand for the fatty acid sensing nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, thereby promoting the maturation of OPCs. Together, our findings indicate that phloretin has proregenerative properties in central nervous system disorders, with potentially broad implications for the development of therapeutic strategies and dietary interventions aimed at promoting remyelination. This work was supported by the Flemish Fund for Scientific Research (FWO Vlaanderen; G099618, 12J9119N, and 1501720N). M.K. was supported by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (640116), by a Salk grant from the government of Flanders, Belgium, and by the FWO (G0G1216N and G080121N)

The progressive nature of demyelinating diseases lies in the inability of the central nervous system (CNS) to induce proper remyelination. Recently, we and others demonstrated that a dysregulated innate immune response partially underlies failure of CNS remyelination. Extensive accumulation of myelin-derived lipids and an inability to process these lipids was found to induce a disease-promoting phagocyte phenotype. Hence, restoring the ability of these phagocytes to metabolize and efflux myelin-derived lipids represents a promising strategy to promote remyelination. Here, we show that ApoA-I mimetic peptide 5A, a molecule well known to promote activity of the lipid efflux transporter ABCA1, markedly enhances remyelination. Mechanistically, we find that the repair-inducing properties of 5A are attributable to increased clearance and metabolism of remyelination-inhibiting myelin debris via the fatty acid translocase protein CD36, which is transcriptionally controlled by the ABCA1-JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway. Altogether, our findings indi-cate that 5A promotes remyelination by stimulating clearance and degradation of myelin debris. We thank M.P. Tulleners for excellent technical assistance. The work was financially supported by the Research Foundation of Flanders (FWO Vlaanderen; 1S15519N, G099618FWO, and 12J9119N) and the Interreg V-A EMR program (EURLIPIDS, EMR23). The funding agencies had no role in the design, analysis, or writing of the article.