ACSL1-Dependent Microglial Lipoimmunometabolic Reprogramming Underlies Cognitive Deficits in Alcohol Use Disorder.

Abstract

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) leads to cognitive impairment dependent on prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction, yet the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms, particularly the role of microglia, remain poorly understood. Through re-analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data from AUD patients, we identified aberrant activation of lipid metabolic pathways in microglia and pinpointed acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 1 (ACSL1) as a central regulator. In animal and cellular models, chronic ethanol exposure induced ACSL1 upregulation, triggering lipid droplet accumulation, neuroinflammatory activation, and aberrant microglia-neuron interactions mediated via PTPRM signaling. Pharmacological inhibition of ACSL1 reversed these pathological phenotypes. We further developed a dual-targeted lipid nanoparticle system for microglia-specific ACSL1 silencing, which effectively ameliorated ethanol-induced cognitive deficits in mice. Our study unveils ACSL1-mediated lipoimmunity reprogramming of microglia as a core mechanism underlying cognitive impairment in AUD and proposes a novel targeted therapeutic strategy.