NLRP3 Deficiency Alleviates Severe Acute Pancreatitis and Pancreatitis-Associated Lung Injury in a Mouse Model.

The rapid production and release of a large number of inflammatory cytokines can cause excessive local and systemic inflammation in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), especially pancreatitis-associated acute lung injury (P-ALI), which is the main cause of early death in patients with SAP. The NLRP3 inflammasome plays an important role in the maturation of IL-1 and the inflammatory cascade. Here, we established a model of SAP using wild-type (NLRP3) and NLRP3 knockout (NLRP3) mice by intraperitoneal injections of caerulein (Cae) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Pathological injury to the pancreas and lungs, the inflammatory response, and neutrophil infiltration were significantly mitigated in NLRP3 mice. Furthermore, INF-39, an NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor, could reduce the severity of SAP and P-ALI in a dose-dependent manner. Our results suggested that SAP and P-ALI were alleviated by NLRP3 deficiency in mice, and thus, reducing NLRP3 expression may mitigate SAP-associated inflammation and P-ALI.