Fatty acid mediators and the inflammasome

Abstract The causes of the obesity crisis and its comorbidities have been at the center of intensive research for decades. Throughout this time, numerous mechanisms have been found to cause or modulate the progression of these pathologies. Together, they paint a complex web of interactors in which low grade chronical inflammation takes center stage. The inhibition of the inflammatory reaction present during obesity has been demonstrated to greatly limit the progression of its comorbidities. Understanding the mechanisms by which metabolic inflammation is induced and resolved is therefore of crucial importance for human health. In recent years, two very important breakthroughs have occurred in this field. These are the identification of the antiinflammatory lipid mediators called specialized proresolving mediators and the discovery of the NLRP3 inflammasome as an important mediator of metabolic inflammation. We offer an overview of how these elements modulate the inflammatory reaction in obesogenic conditions and their effects on the progression of pathologies related to obesity. This chapter covers the molecular pathways responsible for the synthesis of the main pro- and antiinflammatory lipid mediators produced from ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids as well as their individual functions. Additionally, we review the molecular mechanisms and outcomes of NLRP3 priming and activation resulting in the maturation of crucial proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and IL-18).