PERK‐STING‐RIPK3 pathway facilitates cognitive impairment by inducing neuronal necroptosis in sepsis‐associated encephalopathy

AIMS: Sepsis‐associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a common but serious complication in septic survivors and often causes long‐term cognitive impairments. The role of RIPK3‐participated necroptosis in SAE remains obscured. STING is a key molecule in regulating necroptosis and apoptosis. However, there is uncertainty as to the mechanisms of STING in CLP‐induced SAE. The aim of this study was to investigate whether STING is involved in the underlying mechanism of SAE. METHODS: The contextual fear conditioning test (CFCT) assesses cognitive impairment. A transmission electron microscope (TEM) was used to notice the necroptosis. Western blotting and immunofluorescence labeling were applied for the observation of related proteins. RESULTS: The phosphorylated STING in the hippocampal neuron of SAE mice was significantly elevated. Knocking down STING inhibited necroptosis and attenuated cognitive impairment in SAE mice. Moreover, RIPK3(−/−) mice had less cognitive deficit in the SAE model. However, STING overexpression did not deteriorate cognitive impairment in RIPK3(−/−) mice with SAE, indicating that STING is upstream involved in necroptosis. Furthermore, PERK inhibition ameliorated cognitive deficits through a STING‐dependent pathway in SAE mice. CONCLUSION: PERK‐STING‐RIPK3 pathway facilitates cognitive impairment by inducing neuronal necroptosis in the pathology of SAE, which provided a new therapeutic target in SAE treatment.