Inflammation is one of the most important host defense mechanisms in mammals and is also required for wound healing. However, uncontrolled inflammation is harmful to health. Precise control of inflammatory responses is important for limiting pathogenic infections without causing host damage. Inflammasomes are cytosolic protein complexes that control caspase-1-dependent maturation and release of cytokine IL-1ß and IL-18. Among the identified inflammasomes, the importance of the NLRP3 inflammasome has attracted the interest of researchers and biotech companies, and the field of NLRP3 inflammasome research is booming. Increasing evidence shows that the NLRP3 inflammasome is a promising therapeutic target in many diseases. Inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome did not dampen the broader immune responses needed to fight infection because the host defense ability can be covered by other inflammasomes, offering practical, effective, and safe therapy.
Although the NLRP3 inflammasome is important for host defense against various infections and has a beneficial role in some cancers, it responds to a broad range of medically relevant stimuli and promotes the pathogenesis of inflammation-associated diseases such as COVID-19, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, and chronic kidney diseases, etc. Therefore, it is important to dissect the molecular mechanism for the NLRP3 inflammasome activation in response to specific disease conditions. Targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome has become a highly desirable drug target to treat a wide range of human diseases. The development of NLRP3 inhibitors has become an important topic in the pharmaceutical industry and scientific community. Although no NLRP3-targeting drugs have yet hit the market, various pharmaceutical companies are taking a wide range of strategies to tackle the NLRP3 inflammasome.
This Special Issue, “Novel perspectives on the NLRP3 inflammasome”, welcomes original research and review articles in the field, with a focus on but not limited to the molecular and mechanistic basis for the NLRP3 inflammasome activation, pathologies being the result of the NLRP3 inflammasome dysfunction, the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in aging of hematopoietic cells and hemato/lymphopoietic cell trafficking, metabolic effects of the NLRP3 inflammasome, and inhibitors targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome. The attracted topics on other inflammasomes are also welcome.
Inflammation is one of the most important host defense mechanisms in mammals and is also required for wound healing. However, uncontrolled inflammation is harmful to health. Precise control of inflammatory responses is important for limiting pathogenic infections without causing host damage. Inflammasomes are cytosolic protein complexes that control caspase-1-dependent maturation and release of cytokine IL-1ß and IL-18. Among the identified inflammasomes, the importance of the NLRP3 inflammasome has attracted the interest of researchers and biotech companies, and the field of NLRP3 inflammasome research is booming. Increasing evidence shows that the NLRP3 inflammasome is a promising therapeutic target in many diseases. Inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome did not dampen the broader immune responses needed to fight infection because the host defense ability can be covered by other inflammasomes, offering practical, effective, and safe therapy.
Although the NLRP3 inflammasome is important for host defense against various infections and has a beneficial role in some cancers, it responds to a broad range of medically relevant stimuli and promotes the pathogenesis of inflammation-associated diseases such as COVID-19, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, and chronic kidney diseases, etc. Therefore, it is important to dissect the molecular mechanism for the NLRP3 inflammasome activation in response to specific disease conditions. Targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome has become a highly desirable drug target to treat a wide range of human diseases. The development of NLRP3 inhibitors has become an important topic in the pharmaceutical industry and scientific community. Although no NLRP3-targeting drugs have yet hit the market, various pharmaceutical companies are taking a wide range of strategies to tackle the NLRP3 inflammasome.
This Special Issue, “Novel perspectives on the NLRP3 inflammasome”, welcomes original research and review articles in the field, with a focus on but not limited to the molecular and mechanistic basis for the NLRP3 inflammasome activation, pathologies being the result of the NLRP3 inflammasome dysfunction, the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in aging of hematopoietic cells and hemato/lymphopoietic cell trafficking, metabolic effects of the NLRP3 inflammasome, and inhibitors targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome. The attracted topics on other inflammasomes are also welcome.
