Discovery of a series of ester-substituted NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors.

The NLRP3 inflammasome is a component of the innate immune system involved in the production of proinflammatory cytokines. Aberrant activation by a wide range of exogenous and endogenous signals can lead to chronic, low-grade inflammation. It has attracted a great deal of interest as a drug target due to the association with diseases of large unmet medical need such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, arthritis, and cancer.