Pyroptosis in Kidney Disease

In the last several decades, apoptosis interference has been considered clinically irrelevant in the context of renal injury. Recent discovery of programmed necrotic cell death, including necroptosis, ferroptosis, and pyroptosis refreshed our understanding of the role of cell death in kidney disease. Pyroptosis is characterized by a lytic pro- inflammatory type of cell death resulting from gasdermin-induced membrane permeabilization via activation of inflammatory caspases and inflammasomes. The danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), alarmins and pro-inflammatory cytokines are released from pyroptotic cells in an uncontrolled manner, which provoke inflammation, resulting in secondary organ or tissue injuries. The caspases and inflammasome activation-related proteins and pore-forming effector proteins known as GSDMD and GSDME have been implicated in a variety of acute and chronic microbial and non-microbial kidney diseases. Here, we review the recent advances in pathological mechanisms of pyroptosis in kidney disease and highlight the potential therapeutic strategies in future. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.