The Role of the NLRP3 Inflammasome in HCC Carcinogenesis and Treatment: Harnessing Innate Immunity

Overview

Journal Cancers (Basel)

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Oncology

Date 2022 Jul 9

PMID 35804922

Authors

Stavros P Papadakos

Nikolaos Dedes

Elias Kouroumalis

Stamatios Theocharis

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The HCC constitutes one of the most frequent cancers, with a non-decreasing trend in disease mortality despite advances in systemic therapy and surgery. This trend is fueled by the rise of an obesity wave which is prominent the Western populations and has reshaped the etiologic landscape of HCC. Interest in the nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat containing (NLR) family member NLRP3 has recently been revived since it would appear that, by generating inflammasomes, it participates in several physiologic processes and its dysfunction leads to disease. The NLRP3 inflammasome has been studied in depth, and its influence in HCC pathogenesis has been extensively documented during the past quinquennial. Since inflammation comprises a major regulator of carcinogenesis, it is of paramount importance an attempt to evaluate the contribution of the NLRP3 inflammasome to the generation and management of HCC. The aim of this review was to examine the literature in order to determine the impact of the NLRP3 inflammasome on, and present a hypothesis about its input in, HCC.

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