β-hydroxybutyrate suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated placental inflammation and lipopolysaccharide-induced fetal absorption.

The immune system contributes to the regulation of pregnancy, and the disruption of well-controlled immune functions leads to pregnancy complications. Recently, the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine-rich repeat-, and pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome mechanisms [(a protein complex of NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), and caspase-1)] have been reported to play roles in controlling placental inflammation involved in pregnancy pathologies. The ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) can suppress NLRP3 inflammasome activation and improve various inflammatory diseases. Therefore, we hypothesized that BHB could suppress activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the placenta, resulting in the improvement of pregnancy complications. In human placental tissue culture, treatment with BHB suppressed the secretion levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-8, but did not affect the mRNA expression levels of NLRP3 inflammasome-associated factors. Treatment with BHB reduced IL-1β secretion and the amount of mature IL-1β protein induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in the placenta. In human trophoblast cells, BHB reduced ASC and activated-caspase-1 expression, resulting in the inhibition of IL-1β secretion. To investigate the effect of BHB during pregnancy, we used an animal model of LPS (100 μg/kg intraperitoneally [i.p.] on gestational day 14)-induced pregnancy complications. Administration of BHB (100 mg/kg i.p.) clearly suppressed the absorption rate and IL-1β production in the placenta induced by LPS in pregnant mice. Moreover, LPS-induced pregnancy abnormalities were improved in NLRP3-deficient mice. These findings suggest that BHB play a role in reducing placental inflammation and pregnancy complications via inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation.