FABP5 controls macrophage alternative activation and allergic asthma by selectively programming long-chain unsaturated fatty acid metabolism

Fatty acids (FAs) are widely involved in diverse biological functions. In mice with myeloid-specific deletion of fatty acid-binding protein 5 (FABP5), OVA-induced allergic airway inflammation (AAI) is significantly exacerbated by increasing alternatively activated macrophages (M2). Fabp5 deficiency increases IL-4-induced M2 in vitro. In macrophages, Fabp5 deletion causes significant accumulation of free long-chain unsaturated FAs, such as oleic acid, but does not cause detectable changes to other groups of FAs. Interestingly, excessive uptake of oleic acid aggravates AAI pathogenesis, with increased M2 polarization in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Informatics and mechanistic studies indicate that Fabp5 deficiency may reprogram metabolic pathways by enhancing FA β oxidation, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation, in addition to producing more ATP through activation of the PPARγ signaling pathway, reshaping macrophages in favor of M2 polarization. These results emphasize the importance of FABP5 and oleic acid in AAI, suggesting preventive and therapeutic strategies for allergic asthma.