The pharmacopeia of helminth-derived metabolites driving tolerance in dendritic cells

Abstract

Helminth infections can restore immune tolerance and suppress intestinal inflammation, yet the molecular mediators underlying these effects are poorly defined. Here, we show that nonpolar metabolites derived from the helminth Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri (HnpM) program dendritic cells (DCs) toward a tolerogenic DC (tolDC) phenotype. Adoptive transfer of HnpM-treated DCs significantly ameliorated DSS-induced intestinal inflammation in mice. Transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling revealed that HnpM induces early metabolic reprogramming followed by gene expression signatures characteristic of tolerogenic DCs that are shared by established tolDC-inducing agents. Together, these findings identify that helminth-derived metabolites are a novel source of small molecule therapeutics to restore immune tolerance in immune-mediated disorders. Summary SentenceMetabolites produced by Heligmosomoides polygyrus induce metabolic and transcriptional changes in DCs consistent with tolDCs, and adoptive transfer of these DCs attenuate DSS-induced intestinal inflammation.