The Inflammasome NLR Family Pyrin Domain-Containing Protein 3 (NLRP3) As a Novel Therapeutic Target for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a dramatic disease without cure. The US Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs, pirfenidone and nintedanib, only slow disease progression. The clinical investigation of novel therapeutic approaches for IPF is an unmet clinical need. Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor or NOD-like receptors are pattern recognition receptors capable of binding a large variety of stress factors. NLR family pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3), once activated, promotes IL-1β, IL-18 production, and innate immune responses. Multiple reports indicate that the inflammasome NLRP3 is overactivated in IPF patients, leading to increased production of class I IL and collagens. Similarly, data from animal models of pulmonary fibrosis confirm the role of NLRP3 in the development of chronic lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis. This report provides a review of the evidence of NLRP3 activation in IPF and of NLRP3 inhibition in different animal models of fibrosis, and highlights the recent advances in direct and indirect NLRP3 inhibitors.