Table 1.
The role of the inflammasomes in human disease
| Human disease | Cause of disease | Link to genetic mutations |
Response to IL-1 blockade? |
Inflammasome involved in animal model? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diseases with an inflammatory component | ||||
| Inflammatory Bowel Disease | Polygenic inflammation of GI tract | Yes76 | No | Yes3, 5 |
| Type 2 diabetes | Polygenic/metabolic stress and inflammation | No | Yes77 | Yes6 |
| Essential hypertension | High blood pressure without an identifiable cause | Yes78 | Not tested | Not tested |
| Alzheimer’s disease | Degenerative brain disorder | No | Not tested | Yes79 |
| Atherosclerosis | Artery wall thickening as a result of build-up of fatty materials | No | Not tested | Yes4 |
| Contact allergic dermatitis | Sensitizing allergens | Yes10 | Not tested | Yes80 |
| Autoinflammatory diseases | ||||
| MWS | NLRP3 mutation | Yes10 | Yes12 | Yes81 |
| FCAS | NLRP3 mutation | Yes10 | Yes12 | Yes82 |
| CINCA | NLRP3 mutation | Yes10 | Yes12 | Not tested |
| Autoimmune Diseases | ||||
| Type 1 diabetes | Self destruction of pancreatic β cells | Yes55 | Not tested | Not tested |
| Multiple sclerosis | Self destruction of oligodendrocytes | No | In progress | Yes43/No44 |
| Systemic lupus erythematosus | Targeting of ubiquitous, mostly intra-nuclear self-antigens | No | Yes60 | Not tested |
| Vitiligo | Self destrucion of melanocytes | Yes71 | Not tested | Not tested |
| Addison’s disease | Destruction of the adrenal cortex resulting in impaired cortisol production | Yes54 | Not tested | Not tested |
| Celiac disease | Destruction of the small intestine lining triggered by eating gluten | Yes55 | Not tested | Not tested |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | Self destruction of the synovial joints | Yes29 | Yes27 | No33 |