Pyroptosis
Pyroptosis is a form of regulated cell death characterized by inflammatory signaling, disruption of the plasma membrane, and release of intracellular danger signals.
Pyroptosis is a form of regulated cell death characterized by inflammatory signaling, disruption of the plasma membrane, and release of intracellular danger signals. It is commonly initiated by inflammasomes such as the NLRP3 inflammasome, which activate caspase-1. Caspase-1 cleaves Gasdermin D (GSDMD), releasing its pore-forming fragment and promoting cellular swelling, membrane rupture, and secretion of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-18 (IL-18). Pyroptosis can also be initiated through non-canonical inflammasome pathways, which respond to cytosolic lipopolysaccharide and activate inflammatory caspases that converge on GSDMD.
Additional pyroptotic routes involve apoptotic caspases and other gasdermins. For example, caspase-3 can cleave Gasdermin E (GSDME), thereby redirecting apoptotic signaling toward a pyroptosis-like, inflammatory form of cell death. Release of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), proinflammatory cytokines, and other damage-associated molecular patterns can amplify inflammation and influence macrophage activity, antigen presentation, and adaptive immune responses. In contrast with the generally immunologically quiet dismantling associated with apoptosis, pyroptosis is considered an immunogenic cell-death modality that can stimulate dendritic-cell and T-cell responses; it is therefore studied both as a driver of inflammatory disease and as a potential mechanism for cancer therapy.
Where the papers sit
14 papers from the last 6 months study pyroptosis directly · updated from PubMed 1 Nov 2026
Study type 0 clinical trials · 1 human data · 13 preclinical
Themes 3 themes · 1 paradigm shift
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Inflammatory Disease Pyroptosis
Inflammasome-linked pyroptosis is being targeted to reduce inflammatory and fibrotic tissue injury across sepsis, diabetic organ disease, cardiac aging and other disorders. NLRP3, CASP1, GSDMD and IL-1β recur as the main axis, with upstream HMGB1/TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB, cGAS-STING and Piezo1 pathways providing disease-specific control points. Most interventions suppress pyroptosis, although activating immunogenic cell death is proposed for PI-resistant multiple myeloma. The evidence remains largely preclinical, leaving comparative efficacy and pathway specificity open.
8 papers · 57.1%
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Pyroptosis-Based Cancer Immunotherapy
Engineered nanovesicles and metal complexes are moving pyroptosis toward combination cancer therapy rather than standalone cell killing. GSDME delivery is used to reshape the tumor microenvironment and improve radiotherapy, while mitochondria-targeted photosensitization adds breast-cancer cytotoxicity. Copper single-atom nanozymes combine pyroptosis with disulfidptosis, broadening stress-based tumor attack. The evidence is preclinical, with immune reprogramming and tumor control as recurring endpoints.
4 papers · 28.6%
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Tissue Repair Pyroptosis
Inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis is being linked to tissue repair in gestational diabetes and peripheral nerve injury. In placenta, METTL14 acts through m6A regulation of the MEG8/WNT7A axis to restrain trophoblast pyroptosis. Aconitine likewise improves nerve recovery by suppressing inflammasome activation and pathological pyroptosis. The small, preclinical literature supports pathway modulation but does not yet establish a shared intervention or clinical direction.
2 papers · 14.3%
Pyroptosis can be therapeutically routed through apoptotic caspases and GSDME rather than being confined to inflammasome–caspase-1–GSDMD signaling
Mito-Ir photodynamic therapy in breast cancer and QSSC@Exo-LNP nanotherapy in glioblastoma independently found that mitochondrial or death-receptor-linked apoptotic caspases can activate GSDME-mediated pyroptosis: light-activated Mito-Ir used the caspase-3/GSDME pathway, while chlorogenic acid in QSSC@Exo-LNP initiated GSDME pyroptosis through caspase-8 and amplified it through caspase-3 42489638Jul 42466899Jul. Much of the set instead treats pyroptosis through inflammasome-associated caspase-1 and GSDMD, particularly in inflammatory and tissue-injury models. The change is that pyroptosis is not restricted to the canonical inflammatory machinery; apoptotic signaling can be deliberately rerouted into an immunogenic, GSDME-dependent death program, expanding therapeutic design beyond direct inflammasome activation 42489638Jul 42466899Jul.
Papers
The 14 papers from the last 6 months that study pyroptosis directly, newest first, by theme and by study type. Study types come from PubMed publication types and MeSH headings.
By theme
Inflammatory Disease Pyroptosis (8)
- Activating a novel cell death pathway to target PI-resistant multiple myeloma and enhance immunogenic cell death. Apoptosis : an international journal on programmed cell death · 7 Sept 2026 PMID 42704369
- M-SYFSF attenuates diabetic kidney disease by suppressing Piezo1-associated cGAS-STING signalling and tubular pyroptosis. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology · 2 Sept 2026 PMID 42685564
- Acellular matrix microgel assembly integrated with curcumin-loaded ZIF-8 nanoparticles and simvastatin promotes microfracture-based articular cartilage repair via pyroptosis inhibition, endogenous BMSC recruitment, and hyaline chondrogenic differentiation. Journal of materials chemistry. B · 11 Aug 2026 PMID 42576623
- Digoxin inhibits HIF-1α to attenuate inflammation and fibrosis in thyroid eye disease. Biochemical and biophysical research communications · 24 Jul 2026 PMID 42497831
- Trimethylamine N-oxide drives cardiac aging by activating NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis. Life sciences · 9 Jun 2026 PMID 42264141
- Tumour Necrosis Factor-α Promotes Pyroptosis in Diabetic Liver Injury via the HMGB1/TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB Pathway. Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 31 May 2026 PMID 42219549
- Oxyphenbutazone suppresses non-canonical inflammasome activation and protects against LPS-induced sepsis. International immunopharmacology · 18 May 2026 PMID 42150290
- Therapeutic effects of Tuolitounong decoction on pyroptosis in granulomatous lobular mastitis: evidence from in vitro and in vivo models. Journal of molecular histology · 16 May 2026 PMID 42142128
Pyroptosis-Based Cancer Immunotherapy (4)
- Biomimetic nanovesicle mediated GSDME delivery reprograms the tumor immune microenvironment via pyroptosis to enhance radiotherapy. Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society · 23 Jul 2026 PMID 42492635
- A Mitochondria-Targeted Iridium(III) Complex as a Potent Type-I/II Photosensitizer for Pyroptosis-Based Breast Cancer Therapy. Journal of medicinal chemistry · 23 Jul 2026 PMID 42489638
- A Screening-Guided Biomimetic Exosome-Liposome Hybrid Nanoplatform Enables Pyroptosis-Enhanced Immune Reprogramming in Glioblastoma. ACS nano · 17 Jul 2026 PMID 42466899
- Axial Coordination and Defect Engineering of Copper-Based Single-Atom Nanozymes: Driving Synergistic Disulfidptosis and Pyroptosis for Efficient Prostate Cancer Immunotherapy. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) · 9 Jul 2026 PMID 42424164
Tissue Repair Pyroptosis (2)
- METTL14 alleviates pyroptosis of placental trophoblasts in gestational diabetes mellitus through the lncRNA MEG8/WNT7A axis via m6A modification. Functional & integrative genomics · 11 Sept 2026 PMID 42726311
- Aconitine promotes injured peripheral nerve recovery through restraining the activation of inflammasome-mediated cell pyroptosis and pathological inflammation. Experimental cell research · 21 Jul 2026 PMID 42480279
By study type
Human data, design not indexed (1)
- Axial Coordination and Defect Engineering of Copper-Based Single-Atom Nanozymes: Driving Synergistic Disulfidptosis and Pyroptosis for Efficient Prostate Cancer Immunotherapy. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) · 9 Jul 2026 PMID 42424164
Preclinical: animal, cell and lab studies (13)
- METTL14 alleviates pyroptosis of placental trophoblasts in gestational diabetes mellitus through the lncRNA MEG8/WNT7A axis via m6A modification. Functional & integrative genomics · 11 Sept 2026 PMID 42726311
- Activating a novel cell death pathway to target PI-resistant multiple myeloma and enhance immunogenic cell death. Apoptosis : an international journal on programmed cell death · 7 Sept 2026 PMID 42704369
- M-SYFSF attenuates diabetic kidney disease by suppressing Piezo1-associated cGAS-STING signalling and tubular pyroptosis. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology · 2 Sept 2026 PMID 42685564
- Acellular matrix microgel assembly integrated with curcumin-loaded ZIF-8 nanoparticles and simvastatin promotes microfracture-based articular cartilage repair via pyroptosis inhibition, endogenous BMSC recruitment, and hyaline chondrogenic differentiation. Journal of materials chemistry. B · 11 Aug 2026 PMID 42576623
- Digoxin inhibits HIF-1α to attenuate inflammation and fibrosis in thyroid eye disease. Biochemical and biophysical research communications · 24 Jul 2026 PMID 42497831
- Biomimetic nanovesicle mediated GSDME delivery reprograms the tumor immune microenvironment via pyroptosis to enhance radiotherapy. Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society · 23 Jul 2026 PMID 42492635
- A Mitochondria-Targeted Iridium(III) Complex as a Potent Type-I/II Photosensitizer for Pyroptosis-Based Breast Cancer Therapy. Journal of medicinal chemistry · 23 Jul 2026 PMID 42489638
- Aconitine promotes injured peripheral nerve recovery through restraining the activation of inflammasome-mediated cell pyroptosis and pathological inflammation. Experimental cell research · 21 Jul 2026 PMID 42480279
- A Screening-Guided Biomimetic Exosome-Liposome Hybrid Nanoplatform Enables Pyroptosis-Enhanced Immune Reprogramming in Glioblastoma. ACS nano · 17 Jul 2026 PMID 42466899
- Trimethylamine N-oxide drives cardiac aging by activating NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis. Life sciences · 9 Jun 2026 PMID 42264141
- Tumour Necrosis Factor-α Promotes Pyroptosis in Diabetic Liver Injury via the HMGB1/TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB Pathway. Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 31 May 2026 PMID 42219549
- Oxyphenbutazone suppresses non-canonical inflammasome activation and protects against LPS-induced sepsis. International immunopharmacology · 18 May 2026 PMID 42150290
- Therapeutic effects of Tuolitounong decoction on pyroptosis in granulomatous lobular mastitis: evidence from in vitro and in vivo models. Journal of molecular histology · 16 May 2026 PMID 42142128
Written from 14 PubMed abstracts, each one listed by PMID above. Published: 2026-08-28. Last written: 2026-09-13 by GPT. Drafted by language models from published abstracts; not medical advice.