FIGURE. 4.

MSU crystal stimulation induces ATP production and release. ATP (%) of cell cultures of PBMCs from MSU crystal (0.1 g/ml)-induced gouty arthritis rats (A) and LPS (50 ng/ml)-initiated, MSU crystal (100 μg/ml)-stimulated stable gout patients (B). Control groups were treated with equal amounts of sterile saline or PBS. The ATP (%) values of (A) and (B) are expressed as a percentage of the MSU group relative to the control group. (C) ELISA of IL-1β in culture supernatants from LPS-primed PBMCs of gout patients treated with MSU (10/100 μg/ml) for 4 h (D) WB of N-GSDMD and p20 expression in lysates from LPS-primed PBMCs of gout patients treated with VX-765 (pyroptosis inhibitor; 10 μM) for 30 min and then stimulated with MSU (100 μg/ml). LDH levels in the serum of MSU crystal-induced gout rats (E) and in acute-phase gout patients (F). Data are presented as the means ± S.E.M.s. Statistics were analyzed using the independent samples t test or Dunnett’s t test. (A,B) n = 3-4; (C) n = 4; (E) n = 5; (F) n = 19. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001.