Microglial adipose triglyceride lipase regulates neuroinflammatory and behavioural responses to LPS

Adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), the enzyme that catalyses the rate-limiting step of triglyceride lipolysis, regulates inflammation in peripheral tissues. ATGL has been associated with both pro- and anti-inflammatory responses in different tissues suggesting its actions are dependent on cell type. Recent studies in microglia and macrophages suggest that lipid droplets (LD), a triglyceride storing organelle, and LD lipolysis via ATGL are important components of inflammatory responses. Here, we determined the impact of ATGL inhibition and microglia-specific ATGL loss-of-function on inflammatory and behavioural responses to acute pro-inflammatory insult. First, we evaluated the impact of lipolysis inhibition on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expression and secretion of cytokines in mouse primary microglia cultures. LPS led to LD accumulation in microglia and altered the expression of lipolysis regulators. The pan-lipase inhibitor ORlistat alleviated LPS-induced expression of IL-1{beta} and IL-6. Specific inhibition of ATGL by ATGListatin had similar anti-inflammatory action on cytokines expression and secretion in both neonatal and adult microglia cultures. Second, targeted and untargeted lipidomic studies revealed that ATGL inhibition reduced LPS-induced generation of pro-inflammatory prostanoids and affected ceramide profile. Finally, the role of ATGL in neuroinflammation was assessed in a novel mouse model with inducible ATGL deletion specifically in microglia. Loss of microglial ATGL in adult male mice dampened LPS-induced expression of IL-6 and reduced LPS-induced sickness behaviour. Together, our results demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition or loss of ATGL-mediated triglyceride lipolysis reduces LPS-induced inflammation to suggest that inhibition of lipolysis plays a beneficial role in neuroinflammation.