Department of Infectious Diseases, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing.
Department of Oncology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Shunyi Hospital, Beijing, China.
J Immunol. 2024 Aug 15;213(4):407-417. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300745.
The Nod-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome has been the most distinctive polymer protein complex. After recognizing the endogenous and exogenous danger signals, NLRP3 can cause inflammation by pyroptosis and secretion of mature, bioactive forms of IL-1β and IL-18. The NLRP3 inflammasome is essential in the genesis and progression of infectious illnesses. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of the NLRP3 inflammasome in infectious diseases, focusing on its two-sided effects. As an essential part of host defense with a protective impact, abnormal NLRP3 inflammasome activation, however, result in a systemic high inflammatory response, leading to subsequent damage. In addition, scientific evidence of small molecules, biologics, and phytochemicals acting on the NLRP3 inflammasome has been reviewed. We believe that the NLRP3 inflammasome helps us understand the pathological mechanism of different stages of infectious diseases and that inhibitors targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome will become a new and valuable research direction for the treatment of infectious diseases.
NLRP3 炎性小体是一种最具特征性的多蛋白复合物。在识别内源性和外源性危险信号后，NLRP3 可以通过细胞焦亡和成熟、有生物活性的 IL-1β 和 IL-18 的分泌引起炎症。NLRP3 炎性小体在传染病的发生和进展中至关重要。本文就 NLRP3 炎性小体在感染性疾病中的作用进行综述，重点阐述其两方面的效应。作为宿主防御的重要组成部分，具有保护作用，但 NLRP3 炎性小体异常激活会导致全身炎症反应过高，进而导致组织损伤。此外，还对作用于 NLRP3 炎性小体的小分子、生物制剂和植物化学物质的科学证据进行了综述。我们相信，NLRP3 炎性小体有助于我们理解传染病不同阶段的病理机制，而针对 NLRP3 炎性小体的抑制剂将成为治疗传染病的一个新的、有价值的研究方向。
