炎症在各种癌症的发生和进展中起着关键作用，有助于转移、血管生成、细胞增殖和侵袭等关键过程。此外，肿瘤微环境（TME）内炎症介导的细胞因子的释放在协调这些事件中起着至关重要的作用。免疫细胞膜上模式识别受体的激活引发了 caspase-1 募集促进的炎性 caspase 的激活。这种激活导致促炎细胞因子（包括 IL-1β 和 IL-18）的产生，并参与具有重大意义的多种生物过程。 NOD 样受体蛋白 3 (NLRP3) 炎症小体在先天免疫中发挥着核心作用，并通过释放 IL-1β 和 IL-18 来调节炎症。此外，它与各种细胞区室相互作用。最近，NLRP3炎症小体激活的机制引起了人们的广泛关注。 NLRP3 炎性体激活的破坏与一系列炎症性疾病有关，包括糖尿病、肠炎、神经退行性疾病、肥胖和肿瘤。 NLRP3 对肿瘤发生的影响因不同癌症类型而异，观察到的作用也不同。例如，NLRP3 可以抑制与结肠炎相关的结直肠癌，而其活性可能会促进胃癌和皮肤癌。本综述对 NLRP3 炎症小体的结构、生物学特性和机制进行了全面的了解，特别关注 NLRP3 与肿瘤相关免疫反应和 TME 之间的关系。此外，该综述还探讨了通过 NLRP3 炎性体调节靶向癌症的潜在策略。这包括创新方法，包括基于 NLRP3 的纳米颗粒、基因靶向治疗和免疫检查点抑制剂。© 2024 英国药理学会。

Inflammation has a pivotal role in the initiation and progression of various cancers, contributing to crucial processes such as metastasis, angiogenesis, cell proliferation and invasion. Moreover, the release of cytokines mediated by inflammation within the tumour microenvironment (TME) has a crucial role in orchestrating these events. The activation of inflammatory caspases, facilitated by the recruitment of caspase-1, is initiated by the activation of pattern recognition receptors on the immune cell membrane. This activation results in the production of proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β and IL-18, and participates in diverse biological processes with significant implications. The NOD-Like Receptor Protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome holds a central role in innate immunity and regulates inflammation through releasing IL-1β and IL-18. Moreover, it interacts with various cellular compartments. Recently, the mechanisms underlying NLRP3 inflammasome activation have garnered considerable attention. Disruption in NLRP3 inflammasome activation has been associated with a spectrum of inflammatory diseases, encompassing diabetes, enteritis, neurodegenerative diseases, obesity and tumours. The NLRP3 impact on tumorigenesis varies across different cancer types, with contrasting roles observed. For example, colorectal cancer associated with colitis can be suppressed by NLRP3, whereas gastric and skin cancers may be promoted by its activity. This review provides comprehensive insights into the structure, biological characteristics and mechanisms of the NLRP3 inflammasome, with a specific focus on the relationship between NLRP3 and tumour-related immune responses, and TME. Furthermore, the review explores potential strategies for targeting cancers via NLRP3 inflammasome modulation. This encompasses innovative approaches, including NLRP3-based nanoparticles, gene-targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors.© 2024 British Pharmacological Society.