[Research progress of cell pyroptosis in the mechanism and treatment of glaucoma]

Pyroptosis, which is put forward after apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy, is a programmed pro-inflammatory cell death mode mainly mediated by inflammasomes. The main signaling pathways include the classic caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis pathway and the non-classical caspase-4, caspase-5 and caspase-11-dependent pyroptosis pathway. Pyroptosis is involved in the normal physiological function and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many diseases, especially in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and glaucoma. Glaucoma, which is mainly related to pathological intraocular pressure elevation, is a kind of eye diseases that threaten and damage the optic nerve and its visual pathway and eventually lead to visual function impairment. With more attention paid to pyroptosis involved in the mechanism of eye diseases and the pathogenesis and treatment of glaucoma, studies have found that pyroptosis is tightly correlated with glaucoma. Pyroptosis of retinal ganglion cells and microglia-mediated pyroptosis possess a significant position in the development of glaucoma. Further understanding of the relationship between pyroptosis and glaucoma might bring a new dawn for glaucoma treatment. The mechanism of pyroptosis may provide a new strategy for the pathogenesis and treatment of glaucoma. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2021, 57: 702-706).