1. Academic Validation
  2. I-BET151 modulates NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis and exhibits anti-inflammatory activity

I-BET151 modulates NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis and exhibits anti-inflammatory activity

  • Sci Rep. 2025 Dec 3;16(1):994. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-30557-6.
Xu Wu 1 Wei Liu 2 Huadong Meng 3 Song Peng 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230001, People's Republic of China.
  • 2 Department of Respiratory Disease, Anhui Provincial Chest Hospital, Hefei, 230000, People's Republic of China.
  • 3 Department of Intensive Care Unit (ICU), The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Hefei), Hefei, 230001, People's Republic of China.
  • 4 Department of Intensive Care Unit (ICU), The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Hefei), Hefei, 230001, People's Republic of China. [email protected].
Abstract

Studies have shown that inhibiting the aberrant activation of NOD-like Receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes can alleviate the onset and progression of various inflammatory diseases. This study investigated the anti-inflammatory mechanism of I-BET151 and its therapeutic effects on colitis and acute lung injury. Through screening of the compound library, it was found that I-BET151 can inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), high-content screening, immunoprecipitation (IP), Western blot (WB), immunofluorescence etc., were used to study the anti-inflammatory activity and mechanism of action of I-BET151; the therapeutic effects of I-BET151 were assessed in DSS-induced acute colitis and CLP-induced sepsis-associated acute lung injury (SALI) models in mice. The results showed that I-BET151 could inhibit IL-1β secretion and cell Apoptosis. Mechanistically, I-BET151 did not affect mitochondrial damage or Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production, but exerted its anti-inflammatory activity by targeting the NLRP3 protein to inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome assembly. In vivo experiments demonstrated that I-BET151 exhibited promising therapeutic effects in both DSS-induced acute colitis and CLP-induced SALI models in mice. In conclusion, I-BET151 is a promising candidate for the treatment of colitis and acute lung injury, primarily exerting its biological activity through the targeting of NLRP3 protein.

Keywords

Acute lung injury; Inflammatory bowel disease; NLRP3 inflammasome; Pyroptosis; Sepsis.

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