A REVIEW ON INFLAMMASOMES AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE: THE NLRP3 AXIS AS A THERAPEUTIC FRONTIER

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading worldwide cause of morbidity and mortality, inflammation being one of the main factors in their pathology. Inflammasomes, NLRP3 in particular, were identified as central mediators of sterile inflammation processes. NLRP3 inflammasomes are cytosolic multiprotein complexes that control caspase-1 activation and subsequent maturation of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18. With growing evidence, NLRP3 inflammasome has been implicated in CVDs like atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and hypertension. Their activation causes endothelial dysfunction, vascular inflammation, destabilization of plaques, and adverse cardiac remodeling. Targeting the NLRP3 axis therapeutically has been promising in both preclinical and clinical studies, thus presenting NLRP3 as a potential new target in cardiovascular therapy. This study reviews the mechanistic insights of NLRP3 inflammasome activation, its involvement in cardiovascular diseases, current therapeutic strategies, and hurdles in clinical translation. Exploration of this inflammasome axis brings new avenues for precision medicine and targeted interventions for cardiovascular health. Keywords: NLRP3, inflammasome, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, IL-1β, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, heart failure.