NF-κB: A Double-Edged Sword Controlling Inflammation

Inflammation, when properly mounted and precisely calibrated, is a beneficial process that enables the rapid removal of invading pathogens and/or cellular corpses and promotes tissue repair/regeneration to restore homeostasis after injury. Being a paradigm of a rapid response transcription factor, the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) transcription factor family plays a central role in amplifying inflammation by inducing the expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Additionally, NF-κB also induces the expression of pro-survival and -proliferative genes responsible for promoting tissue repair and regeneration. Paradoxically, recent studies have suggested that the NF-κB pathway can also exert inhibitory effects on pro-inflammatory cytokine production to temper inflammation. Here, we review our current understanding about the pro- and anti-inflammatory roles of NF-κB and discuss the implication of its dichotomous inflammation-modulating activity in the context of inflammasome activation and tumorigenesis.