Small Molecule TREM2 Agonist (Vigil Neuroscience)

Microglia play a dual role in neuroinflammatory disorders that affect millions of people worldwide. These specialized cells are responsible for the critical clearance of debris and toxic proteins through endocytosis. However, activated microglia can secrete pro-inflammatory mediators, potentially exacerbating neuroinflammation and harming adjacent neurons. TREM2, a cell surface receptor expressed by microglia, is implicated in the modulation of neuroinflammatory responses. In this study, we investigated if and how Dehydroervatamine (DHE), a natural alkaloid, reduced the inflammatory phenotype of microglia and suppressed neuroinflammation. Our findings revealed that DHE was directly bound to and activated TREM2. Moreover, DHE effectively suppressed the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, restored mitochondrial function, and inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation via activating the TREM2/DAP12 signaling pathway in LPS-stimulated BV2 microglial cells. Notably, silencing TREM2 abolished the suppression effect of DHE on the neuroinflammatory response, mitochondrial dysfunction, and NF-κB/NLRP3 pathways in vitro. Additionally, DHE pretreatment exhibited remarkable neuroprotective effects, as evidenced by increased neuronal viability and reduced apoptotic cell numbers in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells co-cultured with LPS-stimulated BV2 microglia. Furthermore, in our zebrafish model, DHE pretreatment effectively alleviated behavioral impairments, reduced neutrophil aggregation, and suppressed neuroinflammation in the brain by regulating TREM2/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathways after intraventricular LPS injection. These findings provide novel insights into the potent protective effects of DHE as a promising novel TREM2 agonist against LPS-induced neuroinflammation, revealing its potential therapeutic role in the treatment of central nervous system diseases associated with neuroinflammation.