title: Role of inflammasome activation in the pathophysiology of vascular diseases of the neurovascular unit.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  Inflammation is the standard double-edged defense mechanism that aims at protecting the human physiological homeostasis from devastating threats. Both acute and chronic inflammation have been implicated in the occurrence and progression of vascular diseases. Interference with components of the immune system to improve patient outcome after ischemic injury has been uniformly unsuccessful. There is a need for a deeper understanding of the innate immune response to injury in order to modulate, rather than to block inflammation and improve the outcome for vascular diseases.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors or NOD-like receptor proteins (NLRPs) can be activated by sterile and microbial inflammation. NLR family plays a major role in activating the inflammasome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The aim of this work is to review recent findings that provided insights into key inflammatory mechanisms and define the place of the inflammasome, a multi-protein complex involved in instigating inflammation in neurovascular diseases, including retinopathy, neurodegenerative diseases, and stroke.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The significant contribution of NLRP-inflammasome activation to vascular disease of the neurovascular unit in the brain and retina suggests that therapeutic strategies focused on specific targeting of inflammasome components could significantly improve the outcomes of these diseases.
authors.affiliation: 1 Program in Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia , Augusta, Georgia .
authors.forename: Islam N
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.forename: Tauheed
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishrat
authors.forename: Susan C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Fagan
authors.forename: Azza B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: El-Remessy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D056833:Central Serous Chorioretinopathy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D058847:Inflammasomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D051192:Receptors, Pattern Recognition / Q000378:metabolism; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D058847:Inflammasomes; D051192:Receptors, Pattern Recognition