Inflammasomes and autoimmune and rheumatic diseases: A comprehensive review

Inflammasomes are a multi-protein platform forming a part of the innate immune system. Inflammasomes are at standby status and can be activated when needed. Inflammasome activation is an important mechanism for the production of active interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18, which have important roles to instruct adaptive immunity. Active forms of inflammasomes trigger a series of inflammatory cascades and lead to the differentiation and polarization of naïve T cells and secretion of various cytokines, which can induce various kinds of autoimmune and rheumatic diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), gout, Sjögren's syndrome, Behçet's disease, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis and IgA vasculitis (former Henoch-Schönlein purpura ). In this review, we summarize studies published on inflammasomes and review their roles in various autoimmune diseases. Understanding of the role of inflammasomes may facilitate the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases and the development of tailored therapies in the future.