Mechanism of neutrophil extracellular traps in the pathogenesis of gout

Gout is a self-limited inflammatory disease caused by the deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in joints and surrounding tissues due to abnormal purine metabolism. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are formed by neutrophils in response to pathogen attack. During gout, NETs induced by MSU crystals exacerbate inflammation, and aggregated NETs (aggNETs) promote the resolution of gout-associated inflammation by encapsulating MSU crystals, degrading cytokines and chemokines, and blocking the recruitment and activation of neutrophils. With disease progression, NETs participate in the formation of tophi. Therefore, aggNETs are a possible mechanism of spontaneous gout regression. Studying the specific mechanism by which NETs affect inflammatory bursts and spontaneous regression in gout patients is important. This review summarises the role of NETs in different stages of gout and the specific pathogenesis of NETs in gout to provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of gout.