NLRP3 inflammasome: A likely target for the treatment of allergic diseases

Summary Allergic diseases, such as asthma, rhinitis, dermatitis, conjunctivitis, and anaphylaxis, have recently become a global public health concern. According to previous studies, the NLRP 3 inflammasome is a multi‐protein complex known to be associated with many inflammatory conditions. In response to allergens or allergen/damage‐associated molecular signals, NLRP 3 changes its conformation to allow the assembly of the NLRP 3 inflammasome complex and activates caspase‐1, which is an evolutionarily conserved enzyme that proteolytically cleaves other proteins, such as the precursors of the inflammatory cytokines IL ‐1β and IL ‐18. Subsequently, active caspase‐1 cleaves pro‐ IL ‐1 and pro‐ IL ‐18. Recently, accumulating human and mouse experimental evidence has demonstrated that the NLRP 3 inflammasome, IL ‐1β, and IL ‐18 are critically involved in the development of allergic diseases. Furthermore, the application of specific NLRP 3 inflammasome inhibitors has been demonstrated in animal models. Therefore, these inhibitors may represent potential therapeutic methods for the management of clinical allergic disorders. This review summarizes findings related to the NLRP 3 inflammasome and its related factors and concludes that specific NLRP 3 inflammasome inhibitors may be potential therapeutic agents for allergic diseases.