Targeting inflammasomes as an immunotherapeutic strategy for cancer

Inflammasomes are essential regulators of innate immunity, inflammation, and cellular apoptosis, and they have surfaced as significant modulators of cancer progression and regulation. Inflammasomes are macromolecular complexes assembled in response to damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). They induce inflammation via the oligomerization and activation of caspases. These cysteine proteases cleave the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18 into their physiologically active mature versions. Recent discoveries reveal that inflammasomes are implicated not only in infections but also in malignancies, suggesting a significant connection between inflammation and tumor development. This article emphasizes that inflammasomes cause pyroptosis in a variety of immune cells, such as dendritic cells, macrophages, T cells, and fibroblasts, in addition to tumor cells. The induction of CD8⁺ T cells allows inflammasomes to commence an immunological response against the tumor, successfully inhibiting its growth and progression. The inflammasome comprises four main types: NLRP1, NLRP3, NLRC4, and AIM2. Nevertheless, the inflammasomes are activated by infection, injury, or stimulation of host cells, thus triggering the inflammatory response. The essential roles of the NLRP1, NLRP3, NLRC4, and AIM2 inflammasomes are emphasized in both tumors and immune cells. Furthermore, the article provides an overview of inhibitors targeting various tumor inflammasome pathways currently in clinical trials. Here, in this review, we underscore the role of the inflammatory response in cancer progression and highlight the significance of inflammasomes in regulating immune cells within the tumor microenvironment. Targeting these inflammasomes offers novel strategies for cancers.