Inflammasome News and Research

RSS

Antidepressant Prozac could offer the first treatment for atrophic macular degeneration

An antidepressant best known as Prozac could offer the first treatment for the leading cause of blindness among people over 50, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggests.

21 Oct 2021

J&J vaccine prevents SARS-CoV-2-induced thrombosis and inflammation in hamsters

In a recent study, researchers performed bulk RNA-Seq transcriptomic profiling of lungs from vaccinated and unvaccinated hamsters with the Janssen vaccine.

4 Oct 2021

Damaging DNA builds up in the eyes to drive blinding age-related macular degeneration

Damaging DNA builds up in the eyes of patients with geographic atrophy, an untreatable, poorly understood form of age-related macular degeneration that causes blindness, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine reveals.

1 Oct 2021

Caspase-11 identified as regulator of inflammatory pathology in SARS-CoV-2 infections

New findings identify CASP4/11 as detrimental to inflammation and coagulopathy associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

28 Sep 2021

Limited evidence colchicine reduces COVID-19 related hospitalization

The present randomized clinical trial attempted to study if colchicine will effectively hasten recovery and reduce COVID-19 associated hospitalizations or death.

27 Sep 2021

Study identifies how immune sensors launch a multi-faceted innate immune response to infections

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital immunologists have identified how immune sensors in infected cells organize and launch a multi-faceted innate immune response to infections with live viruses and bacteria. The discovery appears today in Nature.

2 Sep 2021

Activation of NLRP3 inflammasome by the N protein of SARS-CoV-2 to induce hyperinflammation

A new study has revealed the mechanism by which the SARS-CoV-2 N protein activates NLRP3 inflammasomes to induce hyperinflammation.

5 Aug 2021

Researchers investigate how CBD could play a therapeutic role in oral ulcer

Xingying Qi, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, presented the oral session "Cannabidiol Promotes Oral Ulcer Healing by Inactivating CMPK2-Mediated NLRP3 Inflammasome" at the virtual 99th General Session & Exhibition of the International Association for Dental Research, held in conjunction with the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental Research and the 45th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, on July 21-24, 2021.

22 Jul 2021

Study explores the effects of SARS-CoV-2 (and other betacoronaviruses) on cellular mRNA processing

A new study has been released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, which deals with a comprehensive survey on alternative splicing concerning SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study has also included two other betacoronavirurses (SARS-CoV and MERS), a control set of unrelated viruses, and a bacterium, namely, Streptococcus pneumonia. The study findings suggest that several cellular parameters are affected owing to a betacoronavirus infection, which in turn affects some genes and invariably various biological functions.

6 Jul 2021

Ion channel conserved in coronaviruses a potential new drug target for COVID therapeutics

To this end, a recent study published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology discusses the structures of the SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM).

30 Jun 2021

Viral phosphoesterases (including in CoVs) can restrict antiviral innate immunity

An interesting new study describes the activities of a family of viral enzymes called two-histidine-phosphoesterases (2H-PEs), found in coronaviruses (CoVs) and rotaviruses, as well as a mammalian A-kinase anchoring protein enzyme, AKAP7, that shares the same function. Together called 2’,5’-PEs, these enzymes all break down 2’,5’-oligoadenylate compounds that activate the antiviral enzyme ribonuclease L (RNase L).

21 Jun 2021

Gasdermin D plays a key role in the maturation and release of IL-1α

Interluekin-1α (IL-1α) is an important part of the immune response, but until now it has been unclear how this molecule is processed from its precursor, pro-IL-1α, and exits the cell during inflammasome activation.

21 Jun 2021

Metformin prevents pulmonary or lung inflammation in animals infected with SARS-CoV-2

Metformin is a widely prescribed blood sugar-lowering drug. It is often used as an early therapy (in combination with diet and lifestyle changes) for type 2 diabetes, which afflicts more than 34 million Americans.

11 Jun 2021

Researchers review the therapeutic potential of resveratrol nasal formulations in COVID-19

In a recently published article in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, scientists have reviewed the existing literature on antiviral and anti-inflammatory efficacy of resveratrol-based inhaled formulations in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection and reducing COVID-19 severity.

9 Jun 2021

Inflammasomes could play an important role in the development of obesity-related colon cancer

New research presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (held online, 10-13 May) finds evidence that structures called inflammasomes (a part of the innate immune system that helps to regulate inflammation) could play an important role in the development of obesity-associated colon cancer.

10 May 2021

Compound from tropical ginger plant can help in the treatment of inflammatory diseases

Many natural compounds have various anti-inflammatory and other beneficial properties that humans have been utilizing for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years.

7 May 2021

Study reveals arsenal used by protozoans to make leishmaniasis more severe

Researchers have succeeded in revealing the arsenal used by protozoans of the genus Leishmania in human cells to make leishmaniasis more severe, especially in cases of the mucocutaneous variety of the disease, which can cause deformations in patients.

24 Mar 2021

Anti-inflammatory therapies may help prevent heart disease in people with age-related blood condition

Therapies that soothe inflammation could be an effective way to prevent heart disease in people with a common age-related blood condition, according to a new study from researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

18 Mar 2021

Research looks at inflammatory nature of lipid nanoparticle component in mRNA vaccines

In a recent bioRxiv preprint research paper, Botond Z. Igyártó and colleagues from Thomas Jefferson University demonstrated the inflammatory nature of the lipid nanoparticles (LNPs).

15 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 can infect blood monocytes and trigger inflammation, finds study

Researchers found about 10% of blood monocytes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients are infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). These monocytes then die, leading to the release of cytokines – a feature associated with severe and critical COVID-19.

11 Mar 2021