title: Inflammasomes in respiratory disease: from bench to bedside.
abstract: The respiratory tract of human subjects is constantly exposed to harmful microbes and air pollutants. The immune system responds to these offenders to protect the host, but an unbalanced inflammatory response itself may promote tissue damage and ultimately lead to acute and chronic respiratory diseases. Deregulated inflammasome activation is emerging as a key modulator of respiratory infections and pathologic airway inflammation in patients with asthma, COPD, and pulmonary fibrosis. Assembly of these intracellular danger sensors in cells of the respiratory mucosa and alveolar compartment triggers a proinflammatory cell death mode termed pyroptosis and leads to secretion of bioactive IL-1β and IL-18. Here, we summarize and review the inflammasome and its downstream effectors as therapeutic targets for the treatment of respiratory diseases.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Translational Research of Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium; Departments of Epidemiology and Respiratory Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: guy.brusselle@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Guy G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Brusselle
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Translational Research of Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sharen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Provoost
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Translational Research of Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ken R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Bracke
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Protein Research, Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biochemistry, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kuchmiy
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Translational Research of Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium; Departments of Epidemiology and Respiratory Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lamkanfi
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D058847:Inflammasomes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D058847:Inflammasomes