Pivotal regulatory roles of traditional Chinese medicine in ischemic stroke via inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome

Many studies have demonstrated the powerful neuroprotection abilities of multiple traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) against NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated ischemic cerebral injury. These TCMs may be in the form of TCM prescriptions, Chinese herbal medicines and their extracts, and TCM monomers. This review aimed to analyze and summarize the existing knowledge on the assembly and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and its role in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke (IS). We also summarized the mechanism of action of the various TCMs on the NLRP3 inflammasome, which may provide new insights for the management of IS. We reviewed recently published articles by setting the keywords "NLRP3 inflammasome" and "traditional Chinese medicines" along with "ischemic stroke"; "NLRP3 inflammasome" and "ischemic stroke" along with "natural products" and so on in Pubmed and GeenMedical. According to recent studies, 16 TCM prescriptions (officially authorized products and clinically effective TCM prescriptions), 7 Chinese herbal extracts, and 29 TCM monomers show protective effects against IS through anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative stress, anti-apoptotic, and anti-mitochondrial autophagy effects. In this review, we analyzed studies on the involvement of NLRP3 in IS therapy. Further, we comprehensively and systematically summarized the current knowledge to provide a reference for the further application of TCMs in the treatment of IS.