The role of natural products in regulating pyroptosis

In recent years, large numbers of novel cell death types have been reported such as autophagic death, paraptosis, mitosis, oncosis and pyroptosis. As a new type of proinflammatory programmed cell death, pyroptosis has attracted increasing attentions gradually, and its morphological characteristics and molecular mechanisms are significantly different from other cell death types such as necrosis and apoptosis. Many research groups have demonstrated the association between pyroptosis and various human diseases including immunological disease, cancer, atherosclerosis, infectious disease, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Natural products are small molecules synthetized in organisms including primary and secondary metabolites. Natural products are important sources of modern innovative drugs discovery and can be used as key tools to explore the molecular mechanism of cell fate. The aim of this study is to review the molecular mechanisms and pathways of pyroptosis, and to categorize and conclude research results on the correlation between different natural products and pyroptosis in recent years. In this study, a total of 39 papers were enrolled in analyses. The molecular pathways and mechanisms of pyroptosis were clearly described. Fourteen types of natural products, their sources, effects, mechanisms and therapeutic potentials are categorized and illuminated. It is showed that a variety of natural products and pyroptosis have close correlations. They negatively or positively affect or act on different positions of pyroptosis inflammatory pathways, indicating that they may have certain potential therapeutic effects on pyroptosis-related diseases. Pyroptosis, a relatively new way of cell death, is closely associated with a variety of diseases. Natural products can have obvious effects on the process of pyroptosis as potential sources of new drugs. In-depth studies using natural products to investigate pyroptosis will help to enhance our understandings of human diseases and establish effective prevention and treatment strategies.