Portrayal of NLRP3 Inflammasome in Atherosclerosis: Current Knowledge and Therapeutic Targets

Harnessing pyroptosis for lung cancer therapy: The impact of NLRP3 inflammasome activation

Lung cancer is still a global health challenge in terms of high incidence, morbidity, and mortality. Recent scientific studies have determined that pyroptosis, a highly inflammatory form of programmed cell death, can be identified as a potential lung cancer therapeutic target. The NLRP3 inflammasome acts as a critical mediator in this process and, upon activation, activates multiprotein complex formation as well as caspase-1 activation. This process, triggered by a release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, results in pyroptotic cell death. Also, the relationship between the NLRP3 inflammasome and lung cancer was justified by its influence on tumour growth or metastasis. The molecular pathways produce progenitive mediators and remake the tissue. Finally, targeting NLRP3 inflammasome for pyroptosis induction and inhibition of its activation appears to be a promising lung cancer treatment approach. This technique makes cancer treatment more promising and personalized. This review explores the role of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and its possibilities in lung cancer treatment.

Mechanistic insights from inflammasome structures

Inflammasomes are supramolecular complexes that form in the cytosol in response to pathogen-associated and damage-associated stimuli, as well as other danger signals that perturb cellular homoeostasis, resulting in host defence responses in the form of cytokine release and programmed cell death (pyroptosis). Inflammasome activity is closely associated with numerous human disorders, including rare genetic syndromes of autoinflammation, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegeneration and cancer. In recent years, a range of inflammasome components and their functions have been discovered, contributing to our knowledge of the overall machinery. Here, we review the latest advances in inflammasome biology from the perspective of structural and mechanistic studies. We focus on the most well-studied components of the canonical inflammasome - NAIP-NLRC4, NLRP3, NLRP1, CARD8 and caspase-1 - as well as caspase-4, caspase-5 and caspase-11 of the noncanonical inflammasome, and the inflammasome effectors GSDMD and NINJ1. These structural studies reveal important insights into how inflammasomes are assembled and regulated, and how they elicit the release of IL-1 family cytokines and induce membrane rupture in pyroptosis.

Modulation of atherosclerosis-related signaling pathways by Chinese herbal extracts: Recent evidence and perspectives

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease remains a preeminent cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The onset of atherosclerosis underpins the emergence of ischemic cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease (CHD). Its pathogenesis entails multiple factors such as inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, vascular endothelial damage, foam cell formation, and platelet activation. Furthermore, it triggers the activation of diverse signaling pathways including Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt), NF-E2-related factor 2/antioxidant response element (Nrf2/ARE), the Notch signaling pathway, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), nucleotide oligo-structural domain-like receptor thermoprotein structural domain-associated protein 3 (NLRP3), silencing information regulator 2-associated enzyme 1 (Sirt1), nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB), Circular RNA (Circ RNA), MicroRNA (mi RNA), Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT). Over recent decades, therapeutic approaches for atherosclerosis have been dominated by the utilization of high-intensity statins to reduce lipid levels, despite significant adverse effects. Consequently, there is a growing interest in the development of safer and more efficacious drugs and therapeutic modalities. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) offers a vital strategy for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Numerous studies have detailed the mechanisms through which TCM active ingredients modulate signaling molecules and influence the atherosclerotic process. This article reviews the signaling pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and the advancements in research on TCM extracts for prevention and treatment, drawing on original articles from various databases including Google Scholar, Medline, CNKI, Scopus, and Pubmed. The objective is to furnish a reference for the clinical management of cardiovascular diseases.

Therapeutic peptides for coronary artery diseases: in silico methods and current perspectives

Many drug formulations containing small active molecules are used for the treatment of coronary artery disease, which affects a significant part of the world's population. However, the inadequate profile of these molecules in terms of therapeutic efficacy has led to the therapeutic use of protein and peptide-based biomolecules with superior properties, such as target-specific affinity and low immunogenicity, in critical diseases. Protein‒protein interactions, as a consequence of advances in molecular techniques with strategies involving the combined use of in silico methods, have enabled the design of therapeutic peptides to reach an advanced dimension. In particular, with the advantages provided by protein/peptide structural modeling, molecular docking for the study of their interactions, molecular dynamics simulations for their interactions under physiological conditions and machine learning techniques that can work in combination with all these, significant progress has been made in approaches to developing therapeutic peptides that can modulate the development and progression of coronary artery diseases. In this scope, this review discusses in silico methods for the development of peptide therapeutics for the treatment of coronary artery disease and strategies for identifying the molecular mechanisms that can be modulated by these designs and provides a comprehensive perspective for future studies.

Fatal attractions that trigger inflammation and drive atherosclerotic disease

BACKGROUND

Atherosclerosis is the salient, underlying cause of cardiovascular diseases, such as arrhythmia, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, pulmonary embolism and myocardial infarction. In recent years, atherosclerosis pathophysiology has evolved from a lipid-based to an inflammation-centric ideology.

METHODS

This narrative review is comprised of review and original articles that were found through the PubMed search engine. The following search terms or amalgamation of terms were used: "cardiovascular disease," "atherosclerosis," "inflammation," "GRP78," "Hsp60," "oxidative low-density lipoproteins," "aldehyde dehydrogenase," "β2-glycoprotein," "lipoprotein lipase A," "human cytomegalovirus." "SARS-CoV-2," "chlamydia pneumonia," "autophagy," "thrombosis" and "therapeutics."

RESULTS

Emerging evidence supports the concept that atherosclerosis is associated with the interaction between cell surface expression of stress response chaperones, including GRP78 and Hsp60, and their respective autoantibodies. Moreover, various other autoantigens and their autoantibodies have displayed a compelling connection with the development of atherosclerosis, including oxidative low-density lipoproteins, aldehyde dehydrogenase, β2-glycoprotein and lipoprotein lipase A. Atherosclerosis progression is also concurrent with viral and bacterial activators of various diseases. This narrative review will focus on the contributions of human cytomegalovirus as well as SARS-CoV-2 and chlamydia pneumonia in atherosclerosis development. Notably, the interaction of an autoantigen with their respective autoantibodies or the presence of a foreign antigen can enhance inflammation development, which leads to atherosclerotic lesion progression.

CONCLUSION

We will highlight and discuss the complex role of the interaction between autoantigens and autoantibodies, and the presence of foreign antigens in the development of atherosclerotic lesions in relationship to pro-inflammatory responses.

MS4A6D Promotes carrageenan-induced footpad swelling in mice through enhancing macrophages-derived inflammation

Our previous work has demonstrated that the tetraspan MS4A6D interacts with MHC-II to be a complex that promotes macrophage activation (Mol Immunol. 2023; 160: 121-132), however, the exact role of MS4A6D in controlling macrophage-derived inflammation is still poorly understood. Here, we showed that Ms4a6d-deficient (Ms4a6d-/-) mice manifested a lower level of footpad swelling induced by subcutaneous injection of 100 μL of 1% Carrageenan (CGN, w/v) plus CaCl2 (50 mM), a phenomenon that is similar to Nlrp3-/-, Casp-1-/-, and Ilr1-/- mice. Mechanistically, F4/80+ macrophages infiltrated in the footpad tissues of the Ms4A6d-/- mice was significantly lower than that of the WT littermates, leading to dramatically lower levels of proIL-1β in vivo. Moreover, macrophages from Ms4a6d-/- mice also showed a dramatical reduction of Il-1β secretion following NLRP3 inflammsome activation in vitro. Interestingly, both Ms4a6dC237G mutant (Interruption of MS4A6D homodimerization) and Ms4a6dY241G mutant (deletion of heITAM motif) mice also significantly inhibited CGN-induced footpad swelling due to lower levels of Il-1β secretion in vivo. Collectively, MS4A6D aggravates CGN-induced footpad swelling in mice by enhancing NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages and inducing the release of IL-1β, indicating that MS4A6D promotes the progression of acute inflammation.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists: new strategies and therapeutic targets to treat atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is a leading cause of cardiovascular mortality and is increasingly prevalent in our population. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) can safely and effectively lower glucose levels while concurrently managing the full spectrum of ASCVD risk factors and improving patients' long-term prognosis. Several cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs) have been carried out to further investigate the cardiovascular benefits of GLP-1RAs. Analyzing data from CVOTs can provide insights into the pathophysiologic mechanisms by which GLP-1RAs are linked to ASCVD and define the use of GLP-1RAs in clinical practice. Here, we discussed various mechanisms hypothesized in previous animal and preclinical human studies, including blockade of the production of adhesion molecules and inflammatory factors, induction of endothelial cells' synthesis of nitric oxide, protection of mitochondrial function and restriction of oxidative stress, suppression of NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein three inflammasome, reduction of foam cell formation and macrophage inflammation, and amelioration of vascular smooth muscle cell dysfunction, to help explain the cardiovascular benefits of GLP-1RAs in CVOTs. This paper provides an overview of the clinical research, molecular processes, and possible therapeutic applications of GLP-1RAs in ASCVD, while also addressing current limitations in the literature and suggesting future research directions.

Diabetic Cardiomyopathy-From Basics through Diagnosis to Treatment

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the development of myocardial dysfunction in patients with diabetes despite the absence of comorbidities such as hypertension, atherosclerosis or valvular defect. The cardiovascular complications of poorly controlled diabetes are very well illustrated by the U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS), which showed a clear association between increasing levels of glycated hemoglobin and the development of heart failure (HF). The incidence of HF in patients with diabetes is projected to increase significantly, which is why its proper diagnosis and treatment is so important. Providing appropriate therapy focusing on antidiabetic and hypolipemic treatment with the consideration of pharmacotherapy for heart failure reduces the risk of CMD and reduces the incidence of cardiovascular complications. Health-promoting changes made by patients such as a low-carbohydrate diet, regular exercise and weight reduction also appear to be important in achieving appropriate outcomes. New hope for the development of therapies for DCM is offered by novel methods using stem cells and miRNA, which, however, require more thorough research to confirm their efficacy.

Mechanisms of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and the development of peptide inhibitors

The Nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain containing receptor 3 (NLRP3), a member of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD) like receptors (NLRs) family, plays an important role in the innate immune response against pathogen invasions. NLRP3 inflammasome consisting of NLRP3 protein, the adapter protein apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (CARD) (ASC), and the effector protein pro-caspase-1, is central to this process. Upon activation, NLRP3 inflammasome initiates the release of inflammatory cytokines and triggers a form of cell death known as pyroptosis. Dysregulation or inappropriate activation of NLRP3 has been implicated in various human diseases, including type 2 diabetes, colitis, depression, and gout. Consequently, understanding the mechanism underlying NLRP3 inflammasome activation is critical for the development of therapeutic drugs. In the pursuit of potential therapeutic agents, peptides present several advantages over small molecules. They offer higher selectivity, increased potency, reduced toxicity, and fewer off-target effects. The advancements in molecular biology have expanded the opportunities for applying peptides in medicine, unlocking their vast medical potential. This review begins by providing a comprehensive summary of recent research progress regarding the mechanisms governing NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Subsequently, we offer an overview of current peptide inhibitors capable of modulating the NLRP3 inflammasome activation pathway.

Inflammasomes in Atherosclerosis-From Pathophysiology to Treatment

Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by arterial plaque accumulation, remains a significant global health challenge. In recent years, inflammasomes, the intracellular multiprotein complexes crucial for initiating innate immune responses, have emerged as key players in atherosclerosis pathophysiology. This review article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of inflammasome activation and its impact on atherosclerosis development and progression. We explore the intricate interplay between traditional cardiovascular risk factors and inflammasome activation, leading to the perpetuation of inflammatory cascades that drive plaque formation and instability. The review focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying inflammasome activation, including the role of pattern recognition receptors and cytokines in this process. Moreover, we discuss the contribution of inflammasomes to endothelial dysfunction, foam cell formation, and vascular inflammation. Additionally, recent advances in therapeutic strategies targeting inflammasomes are examined, including pharmacological agents and potential immunomodulatory approaches. By collating and analyzing the current evidence, this review provides valuable insights into the potential of inflammasome-targeted therapies for atherosclerosis management and treatment. Understanding the pivotal role of inflammasomes in atherosclerosis pathophysiology offers promising prospects for developing effective and personalized therapeutic interventions that can mitigate the burden of this prevalent cardiovascular disorder and improve patient outcomes.