Expression and significance of effector proteins NLRP3 and gasdermin D N-terminal protein in the pyroptosis pathway in breast cancer

Sep 24, 2026

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Objectives focus on detecting GSDMD-N and the pyroptosis effector protein NLRP3 in breast cancer, and clarifying their relationship with clinicopathological features. Methods analyze 90 breast carcinoma specimens and 30 paracancer tissues collected between January and December 2014 using immunohistochemistry, Kaplan–Meier survival comparison, and χ2 and Spearman correlation tests. Results show linked expression of GSDMD-N and NLRP3, association with breast cancer characteristics, and improved prognosis with higher levels.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages6

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Abstract

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion

1. Introduction

Background on pyroptosis

Roles of GSDMD and inflammasome

Research rationale

2. Materials and methods

Study design and samples

® Clinical Trial/Experimental Study Expression and significance of effector proteins NLRP3 and gasdermin D N-terminal protein in the pyrolysis pathway in breast cancer Ligao Wu, MDa,* , Xia Wu, MDb , Jinjie Liu, MDa , Yuanli Huang, MDa , Qing Zhu, MDa | Abstract
Objectives: To detect the expression and significance of GSDMD-N (gasdermin D N-terminal) in breast cancer, along with pyroptosis effector protein NLRP3 (nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3), and determine their relationship with the clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer.
Methods: From January 2014 to December 2014, NLRP3 and GSDMD-N expression in 90 breast carcinoma organism samples and 30 paracancer tissues in the Department of Pathology. The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College was assessed using immunohistochemistry. The method of Kaplan–Meier was employed for the sake of comparing the survival between NLRP3 and GSDMD-N protein low and high expression groups. Among the breast cancerous organisms, the relationship between the expression of NLRP3 and GSDMD-N, corresponding adjacent tissues, and various clinicopathological features was analyzed using the χ2 and Spearman rank correlation tests.
Results: In the 90 breast cancer tissue samples, the pyrolysis pathway effector proteins GSDMD-N and NLRP3 were actively associated; and, expression intensities of NLRP3 and GSDMD-N were shown to be correlated with breast cancer. In addition, the clinicopathological features of patients were shown to be correlated with breast cancer. Notably, the higher the expressions of NLRP3 and GSDMD-N, the lower the risk of death of patients with breast cancer and the better the prognosis.
Conclusion: The expression of the pyrolysis effector proteins NLRP3 and GSDMD-N in breast cancer tissues may take the lead in tumor prognosis in patients with breast cancer.
Abbreviations: GSDMD-N = gasdermin D N-terminal, NLRP3 = nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3. | | --- | | Keywords: breast cancer, effector proteins, GSDMD-N, NLRP3 , pyroptosis | 1. Introduction Pyrolysis is a recently discovered, novel category of programmed cell death that is different from apoptosis.[1] In 2000, Brennan and Cookson first discovered the pyrolysis of macrophages infected with Salmonella typhimurium. [2] Pyroptosis is a programmed cell death pathway characterized by the formation of pores in the cell membrane, followed by cell swelling, release of cellular contents, secretion of inflammatory factors, and ultimately cell lysis, in response to various external stimuli. Since the discovery of the key execution protein GSDMD,[3] scientists have gained a good understanding of the mechanism of pyroptosis. The pathways of pyroptosis mainly include the classical pathway and the nonclassical pathway. The classical pathway involves the activation of the inflammasome by caspase-1 . Activated caspase-1 cleaves gasdermin D protein (GSDMD) to generate gasdermin D N-terminal (GSDMD-N), which forms oligomers on the cell membrane. GSDMD-Noligomers serve as pore-forming channels that facilitate the release of activated IL-18, IL-1β, and other cytokines from the cytoplasm to the extracellular space, triggering an inflammatory response and leading to cell disintegration. The inflammasome, which consists of components such as pro-caspase-1, NLRs, AIM2, pyrin, and ASC, plays a crucial role in inducing pyroptosis. Pyrocytosis has been a popular research topic recently.[4–10] It generally occurs at the cellular level; however, it is unclear whether pyrolysis can take the lead in the treatment along with the prevision of sick people suffering from breast carcinoma. Based on the classical pathway of cell pyroptosis, we have chosen nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), a member of the NLRs family LWand XW contributed equally to this work. The authors have no conflicts of interest t

FAQs

What was the study objective regarding GSDMD-N and NLRP3?

To detect the expression and significance of GSDMD-N and NLRP3 in breast cancer and determine how they relate to clinicopathological characteristics.

How were GSDMD-N and NLRP3 expressions measured?

NLRP3 and GSDMD-N expression were assessed in tissue samples using immunohistochemistry.

What did the study find about prognosis and patient risk of death?

Higher expression levels of NLRP3 and GSDMD-N were associated with lower risk of death and better prognosis in breast cancer patients.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Dipper