Effect of NLRP3 Inflammasomes on Development of Diabetes Mellitus and Its Complications and Chinese Medicine Intervention via NLRP3： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Diabetes mellitus （DM） is a metabolic disease mainly characterized by chronic hyperglycemia and has multiple etiologies. The complications of DM， such as coronary atherosclerosis， nephropathy， foot disease and cardiac dysfunction， have high morbidity， disability rate and mortality. DM and its complications have a long course of disease and are easy to relapse， which are difficult to be cured， seriously affecting people's life and health. NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome is an important component of inflammatory response and innate immune system. The inflammatory cascade induced by NLRP3 activation is involved in the occurrence and development of DM as well as its complications by releasing inflammatory factors， damaging endothelial cells and affecting metabolic stress. Therefore， as the core of the inflammatory response， NLRP3 may provide a new target for the treatment of DM and its complications. Traditional Chinese medicine plays a key role in the treatment of DM and its complications， and has a regulatory effect on NLRP3. Thus it has become a novel research strategy to prevent and treat DM and its complications via modulating NLRP3. However， at present， there are relatively scattered reports and a lack of systematic review on the role of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of DM and its complications from the perspective of NLRP3. As a result， this paper reviewed domestic and foreign literature in recent years and conducted the discussion from two aspects： the influence of NLRP3 on the occurrence and development of DM and its complications， and the progress of traditional Chinese medicine in intervening in DM and its complications through NLRP3. This paper provided reference for the research on the regulation of NLRP3 and a new direction for the treatment of DM and its complications.