Role of pyroptosis in cardiovascular diseases

Pyroptosis is a form of programmed necrosis, and is morphologically and mechanistically unique form of programmed cell death compared to others, such as apoptosis and autophagic cell death. More specifically, pyroptosis features gasdermin family-mediated membrane pore formation and subsequent cell lysis, as well as release of pro-inflammatory intracellular contents including IL-1β, IL-18 and HMGB1. Mechanistically, pyroptosis is driven by two main signaling pathways - one mediated by caspase-1 and the other by caspase-4/5/11. Recent studies show that pyroptosis is implicated in several cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we summarize recent scientific discoveries of pyroptosis's involvement in atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, diabetic cardiomyopathy, reperfusion injury and myocarditis. We also organized new and emerging evidence suggesting that pyroptosis signaling pathways may be potential therapeutic targets in cardiovascular diseases.