Inflammasome, Inflammation, Infection and Mefenamic Acid

Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain like receptors (NLRs) –intracellular proteins, are a recently discovered class of innate immune receptors that play a crucial role in initiating the inflammatory response following pathogen recognition. The dysregulation of NLRP3 inflammasome can cause uncontrolled inflammation and drive the development of a wide variety of human diseases. Mefenamic acid which belongs to fenamate group inhibits the NLRP3 inflammasome by inhibiting efflux of chloride ions and influx of calcium ions through blocking VRAC and TRPM2 respectively. Thus, Mefenamic acid provides a potentially practical pharmacological approach for treating NLRP3- driven diseases