Role of inflammasomes in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease and therapeutics.

Inflammasomes are a group of multimolecular intracellular complexes assembled around several innate immune proteins. Recognition of a diverse range of microbial, stress and damage signals by inflammasomes results in direct activation of caspase-1, which subsequently induces the only known form of secretion of active interleukin-1β and interleukin-18. Although the importance of interleukin-1β in the periodontium is not questioned, the impact of inflammasomes in periodontal disease and its potential for therapeutics in periodontology is still in its very early stages.