Inhibition of double-strand DNA-sensing cGAS ameliorates brain injury after ischemic stroke

Cytosolic double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) is a danger signal that is tightly monitored and sensed by nucleic acid-sensing pattern recognition receptors. We study the inflammatory cascade on dsDNA recognition and investigate the neuroprotective effect of cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS) antagonist A151 and its mechanisms of neuroprotection in a mouse model of experimental stroke. Here, we found that cerebral ischemia promoted the release of dsDNA into the cytosol, where it initiated inflammatory responses by activating the cGAS. A151 effectively reduced the expression of cGAS, absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) inflammasome, and pyroptosis-related molecules, including caspase-1, gasdermin D, IL-1β, and IL-18. Furthermore, mice treated with A151 showed a dampened immune response to stroke, with reduced counts of neutrophils, microglia, and microglial production of IL-6 and TNF-α after MCAO. Moreover, A151 administration significantly reduced infarct volume, attenuated neurodeficits, and diminished cell death. Notably, the protective effect of A151 was blocked in a microglia-specific cGAS knockout mouse. These findings offer unique perspectives on stroke pathogenesis and indicate that inhibition of cGAS could attenuate brain inflammatory burden, representing a potential therapeutic opportunity for stroke.