NLRP3 inflammasome expression in cultured hepatocytes is regulated by nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)

Background: The inflammasomes are cytoplasmic multiprotein complexes that are responsible for activation of inflammatory reactions. In principal, there are four individual inflammasome branches (i.e. NLRP1, NLRP3, NLRC4/NALP4, and AIM2) that mediate the cleavage and activation of caspase-1 and IL-1β that in turn leads to a complex network of cellular reactions that at the end initiate local and systemic inflammatory reactions [1]. We have recently shown that NLRP3 is virtually absent in cultured hepatocytes and that in vitro the stimulation of hepatocytes with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) results in strong activation of NLRP3 expression [2]. In this study we investigated the impact of NF-κB signalling on NLRP3 activation in primary hepatocytes.