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INTRODUCTION: Pattern recognition receptor (PRR)-mediated signaling pathways have recently been elucidated to bridge the innate immune system and atherosclerosis. NLRP3 is among the family members of NOD-like receptors (NLRs), a type of PRRs. At present, most studies about the NLRP3 inflammasome focus on animal models and immune cells. Limited information is available regarding the role of NLRP3 in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study, we observed the expression of NLRP3 and downstream cytokines in patients with CAD by ELISA, real-time qPCR and Western blot. RESULTS: We found that NLRP3 and downstream cytokines were coupled with increasing severity of CAD and a dynamic variation exists in patients with acute myocardial infarction. We also found that NLRP3 was correlated with Gensini score, indicating that NLRP3 might be relevant not only for the severity of CAD but also for the severity of coronary atherosclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a new theoretical basis for innate immune participation in atherosclerosis development and highlights the potential of the NLRP3 inflammasome as a target for prevention and treatment of CAD.
Wang et al. (2014) studied this question.