Table 2.

Agents/small molecules for dual activation of autophagy and inflammasomes

Agents	Cell/tissue	Mechanism	Outcome	Ref.
Dihydroartemisinin (DHA)	Hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2215)	Activation of ROS-mediated autophagy through inhibition of mTOR; Upregulation of AIM2 expression	Anti-cancer effects	[112]
Prenylation inhibitor	Prostatic cancer cell (PC3)	Activation of autophagy through inhibition of geranylgeranyl synthesis	Cell cycle arrest and inhibition of proliferation	[114]
	THP-1	Activation of NLRP3 inflammasome through ATP secretion and P2X7 activation via isoprenylation-dependent pathway	Not determined in cell survival/death	[115]
Polyphyllin VI	Non-small cell lung cancer (A549, H1299, PC-9)	Activation of ROS-induced NF-κB signaling and pyroptosis; NLRP3 inflammasome activation	Anti-cancer effect	[116]
	Non-small cell lung cancer (A549, H1299)	Activation of ROS-mediated autophagy through inhibition of mTOR; ATG7-dependent autophagic cell death	Anti-cancer effect (reduced by autophagy inhibition)	[117]
Ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P) transfer protein	HeLa, HEK-293 TPH-1	Activation of autophagy through inhibition of mTOR pathway by CPTP depletion;Enhancement of NLRP3 Inflammasome assembly in CPTP depletion state	Not determined in cell survival/death	[119]
17β-estradiol	Hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2)	Activation of caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis;Inhibition of AMPK and activation of the mTOR pathway	Increased pyroptosis (amplified by autophagy inhibition)	[121]
	Thyroid cancer (Nthy-ori 3-1, BCPAP, BCPAP-ERα)	Activation of ROS-mediated autophagy in ERα-positive cell; Activation of the ERK1/2 pathway; promoting survival/growth of papillary thyroid cancer cells	Cancer cell survival	[122]

P2X7 P2X purinoceptor 7, ATG7 autophagy-related gene 7, CPTP ceramide-1-phosphate transfer protein, ERα estrogen receptor α