Introduction: Inflammasomes are large multimeric intracellular complexes that are capable of maturation and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β and IL-18, in response to danger signal molecules. As a member of the inflammasome family, the NLRP3 inflammasome has recently been under intense investigation revealing its possible role in several human diseases especially cancers.Areas covered: In this review, we will discuss the biology and mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome activation, its role in specific types of tumors and the novel therapeutic modalities targeting this complex.Expert opinion: The NLRP3 inflammasome and its components including the adapter apoptosis-associated speck-like (ASC) protein and caspase-1 impose different and sometimes contrasting effects in tumorigenesis depending on various contexts. Considering the novel role of this complex in the initiation and progression of neoplasia, the NLRP3 inflammasome and its pathways provide desirable therapeutic targets for prevention, treatment, and prognosis of certain types of cancer. To date, several agents have been introduced for this purpose, some of which have shown promising results in the clinic.

中文翻译：

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NLRP3炎性小体：与炎症相关的癌症的治疗靶标。

简介：炎性小体是大型的多聚体细胞内复合物，能够响应危险信号分子成熟并分泌促炎性细胞因子IL-1β和IL-18。作为炎性体家族的成员，NLRP3炎性体最近受到了广泛的调查，揭示了其在几种人类疾病（尤其是癌症）中的可能作用。涵盖的领域：在本文中，我们将讨论NLRP3炎性体激活的生物学和机制，以及它的作用。专家意见：NLRP3炎性小体及其组成部分，包括衔接子凋亡相关斑点样蛋白（ASC）和caspase-1，在肿瘤发生中有不同的作用，有时也有不同的作用，具体取决于各种上下文。考虑到该复合物在肿瘤形成和发展中的新作用，NLRP3炎性小体及其途径为某些类型的癌症的预防，治疗和预后提供了理想的治疗靶标。迄今为止，已经为此目的引入了几种药剂，其中一些已经在临床上显示出令人鼓舞的结果。