The hidden role of NLRP3 inflammasome in obesity-related COVID-19 exacerbations: Lessons for drug repurposing.

ABSTRACT: COVID-19, the illness caused by SARS-CoV-2, has a wide-ranging clinical spectrum that, in the worst-case scenario, involves a rapid progression to severe acute respiratory syndrome and death. Epidemiological data show that obesity and diabetes are among the main risk factors associated with high morbidity and mortality. The increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection documented in obesity-related metabolic derangements argues for initial defects in defence mechanisms, most likely due to an elevated systemic metabolic inflammation ("metaflammation"). The NLRP3 inflammasome is a master regulator of metaflammation and has a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of either obesity or diabetes. Here, we discuss the most recent findings suggesting contribution of NLRP3 inflammasome to the incr

SUBMITTER: Bertocchi I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7436458 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature