Expression of NOD-like receptor pyrin dornain-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in pterygium / 眼科新进展

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the expression of NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1b) in pterygium and normal conjunctiva specimens,and clarify the role of NLRP3 in the development of pterygium.Methods Specimens from 20 cases of pterygium and 6 cases of normal eonjunctival were analyzed for establishing the expression of NLRP3 and IL-1b by immune-histochemistry.The level of caspase-1 and pro-caspase-1 protein were analyzed by Westernblot,gene expression of interleukin-18 (IL-18) was detected by RT-PCR.Results NLRP3 was not expressed in normal conjunctival epithelial cells,but was positive in the basal part of pterygium;IL-1was not expressed in normal conjunctival tissues,but was positive in pterygium.There was no significant difference about the expression of Procaspase-1 in normal conjunctiva and pterygium (P ＞ 0.05),However,caspase-1,also known as the active form of pro-caspase-1 expressed in pterygiun was higher than that in normal conjunctiva(P ＜ 0.05).The average level of IL-18 in 20 cases of pterygium was significantly higher than that in normal conjunctiva (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion After NLRP3 signaling pathway activating in pterygium tissue,caspase-1,IL-1β and IL-18 are high expression abnormally,suggest that NLRP3 inflammasome and the related signaling pathways may play a role in the progression of pterygium.