NLRP3 Inflammasome Triggers Inflammation of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is widespread in the population and affects as many as one billion people worldwide. OSA is associated with dysfunction of the brain system that controls breathing, which leads to intermittent hypoxia (IH), hypercapnia, and oxidative stress (OS). The number of NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing (NLRP3) inflammasome was increased after IH, hypercapnia, and OS. NLRP3 inflammasome is closely related to inflammation. NLRP3 inflammasome causes a series of inflammatory diseases by activating IL-1β and IL-18. Subsequently, NLRP3 inflammasome plays an important role in the complications of OSA, including Type 2 diabetes (T2DM), coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension, neuroinflammation, and depression. This review will introduce the basic composition and structure of the NLRP3 inflammasome and focus on the relationship between the NLRP3 inflammasome and OSA and OSA complications. We can deeply understand how NLRP3 inflammasome is strongly associated with OSA and OSA complications.