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Inflammation and metabolism are intricately linked during inflammatory diseases in which activation of the nucleotide-binding domain-like receptors Family Pyrin Domain Containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, an innate immune sensor, is critical. Several factors can activate the NLRP3 inflammasome, but the nature of the link between NLRP3 inflammasome activation and metabolism remains to be thoroughly explored. This study investigates whether the small molecule inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome, MCC950, modulates the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -and amyloid-β (Aβ)-induced metabolic phenotype and inflammatory signature in macrophages. LPS + Aβ induced IL-1β secretion, while pre-treatment with MCC950 inhibited this. LPS + Aβ also upregulated IL-1β mRNA and supernatant concentrations of TNFα, IL-6 and IL-10, however these changes were insensitive to MCC950, confirming that MCC950 specifically targets inflammasome activation in BMDMs. LPS + Aβ increased glycolysis and the glycolytic enzyme, PFKFB3, and these effects were decreased by MCC950. These findings suggest that NLRP3 inflammasome activation may play a role in modulating glycolysis. To investigate this further, the effect of IL-1β on glycolysis was assessed. IL-1β stimulated glycolysis and PFKFB3, mimicking the effect of LPS + Aβ and adding to the evidence that inflammasome activation impacts on metabolism. This contention was supported by the finding that the LPS + Aβ-induced changes in glycolysis and PFKFB3 were attenuated in BMDMs from NLRP3-deficient and IL-1R1-deficient mice. Consistent with a key role for PFKFB3 is the finding that the PFKFB3 inhibitor, 3PO, attenuated the LPS + Aβ-induced glycolysis. The data demonstrate that activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, and the subsequent release of IL-1β, play a key role in modulating glycolysis via PFKFB3. Reinstating metabolic homeostasis by targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome-PFKFB3 axis may provide a novel therapeutic target for treatment of acute and chronic disease.

Scope: Activation of the nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is required for IL-1β release and is a key component of obesity-induced inflammation and insulin resistance. This study hypothesized that supplementation with a casein hydrolysate (CH) would attenuate NLRP3 inflammasome mediated IL-1β secretion in adipose tissue (AT) and improve obesity-induced insulin resistance., Methods and Results: J774.2 macrophages were LPS primed (10 ng/mL) and stimulated with adenosine triphosphate (5 mM) to assess NLRP3 inflammasome activity. Pretreatment with CH (1 mg/mL; 48 h) reduced caspase-1 activity and decreased IL-1β secretion from J774.2 macrophages in vitro. 3T3-L1 adipocytes cultured with conditioned media from CH-pretreated J774.2 macrophages demonstrated increased phosphorylated (p)AKT expression and improved insulin sensitivity. C57BL/6JOLaHsd mice were fed chow or high fat diet (HFD) for 12 wk ± CH resuspended in water (0.5% w/v). CH supplementation improved glucose tolerance in HFD-fed mice as determined by glucose tolerance test. CH supplementation increased insulin-stimulated pAKT protein levels in AT, liver, and muscle after HFD. Cytokine secretion was measured from AT and isolated bone marrow macrophages cultured ex vivo. CH supplementation attenuated IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and IL-6 secretion from AT and IL-1β, IL-18, and TNF-α from bone marrow macrophages following adenosine triphosphate stimulation ex vivo., Conclusion: This novel CH partially protects mice against obesity-induced hyperglycemia coincident with attenuated IL-1β secretion and improved insulin signaling., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Scope: Inflammasome-mediated inflammation is a critical regulator of obesity-induced insulin resistance (IR). We hypothesized that saturated fatty acids (SFA) directly prime the NLRP3 inflammasome via TLR4 concurrent with IR. We focused on dendritic cells (DCs) (CD11c(+) CD11b(+) F4/80(-) ), which are recruited into obese adipose tissue following high-fat diet (HFD) challenge and are a key cell in inflammasome biology., Methods and Results: C57BL/6 mice were fed HFD for 16 weeks (45% kcal palm oil), glucose homeostasis was monitored by glucose and insulin tolerance tests. Stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells were isolated from adipose and analyzed for CD11c(+) CD11b(+) F480(-) DC. Following coculture with bone marrow derived DC (BMDC) insulin-stimulated (3) H-glucose transport into adipocytes, IL-1β secretion and caspase-1 activation was monitored. BMDCs primed with LPS (100 ng/mL), linoleic acid (LA; 200 μM), or palmitic acid (PA; 200 μM) were used to monitor inflammasome activation. We demonstrated significant infiltration of DCs into adipose after HFD. HFD-derived DCs reduce adipocyte insulin sensitivity upon coculture co-incident with enhanced adipocyte caspase-1 activation/IL-1β secretion. HFD-derived DCs are skewed toward a pro-inflammatory phenotype with increased IL-1β secretion, IL-1R1, TLR4, and caspase-1 expression. Complementary in vitro experiments demonstrate that TLR4 is critical in propagating SFA-mediated inflammasome activation., Conclusion: SFA represent metabolic triggers priming the inflammasome, promoting adipocyte inflammation/IR, suggesting direct effects of SFA on inflammasome activation via TLR4., (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)