Caspases and inflammasomes in metabolic inflammation.

Inflammation is an important contributor to the development of metabolic disease. Recent work has strongly implicated the inflammasome and caspase-1 as having a pivotal role in the regulation of metabolism, obesity, insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. Through multiple murine and human studies we now know that the inflammasome can be activated by metabolic triggers in vivo. Clinical studies also reveal the inflammasome to be a potential candidate for therapeutic intervention and provide a clear incentive for future work on this inflammatory pathway.