PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Masters, Seth L.
AU  - Latz, Eicke
AU  - O’Neill, Luke A. J.
TI  - The Inflammasome in Atherosclerosis and Type 2 Diabetes
AID  - 10.1126/scitranslmed.3001902
DP  - 2011 May 04
TA  - Science Translational Medicine
PG  - 81ps17--81ps17
VI  - 3
IP  - 81
4099  - http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/3/81/81ps17.short
4100  - http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/3/81/81ps17.full
AB  - Atherosclerosis is the cause of morbiditiy for 70% of patients with type 2 diabetes. In both of these diseases, a protein complex known as the inflammasome is stimulated to activate interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-18, which are pathogenic inflammatory cytokines. Triggers for the inflammasome are obesity-related factors, such as cholesterol crystals in atherosclerosis, or hyperglycemia, ceramides, and islet amyloid polypeptide in type 2 diabetes. Therapeutics that target IL-1β in clinical trials for type 2 diabetes might also decrease the incidence of atherosclerosis.