The STING-Inflammasome Axis: Coordinated Immune Regulation and Therapeutic Potential Across Diverse Diseases

The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway and inflammasomes were long regarded as distinct innate immune modules that respond to different classes of danger signals. However, accumulating evidence now reveals extensive, bidirectional crosstalk between these pathways, forming an integrated regulatory network that critically shapes the magnitude, quality, and outcome of immune responses. The balance of this network determines whether the host mounts effective pathogen control and tumor immunosurveillance, or instead succumbs to excessive inflammation, tissue injury, or autoimmune pathology.

In this review, we synthesize current mechanistic understanding of STING-inflammasome interactions, highlighting how shared upstream triggers - particularly cytosolic DNA - coordinate the activation, amplification, or restraint of these pathways. We further examine how this axis exerts context-dependent, dualistic functions across diverse disease settings, including cancer, autoimmunity, neurodegeneration, chronic infection, and aging. From a pharmacological perspective, we discuss emerging therapeutic strategies aimed at modulating key regulatory nodes within this signaling network, ranging from STING agonists for cancer immunotherapy to selective STING or the NLR family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inhibitors for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Together, these insights provide a conceptual and translational foundation for the rational development of next-generation immunomodulatory agents targeting the STING-inflammasome axis.