Regulation of Inflammasome by microRNAs in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer - New Opportunities for Therapy - Review

Sep 24, 2026

Reviewing the molecular regulation of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), this article focuses on how non-coding RNAs influence inflammasome biology and therapeutic potential. TNBC’s aggressive behavior stems partly from the dysregulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, which drives proinflammatory cytokine release and caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis. It emphasizes the role of microRNAs as key regulators linking TNBC progression, metastasis, and inflammasome activation. The review highlights microRNA-driven opportunities for biomarker development and innovative treatment strategies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Breast anatomy and breast cancer risk

Screening, diagnosis, and staging (TNM)

Molecular classification and TNBC context

Review Regulation of Inﬂammasome by microRNAs in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: New Opportunities for Therapy Liliana-Roxana Balahura (St«mat) 1, Sorina Dinescu 1,2, * and Marieta Costache 1,2 Citation: (St˘amat), L.-R.B.; Dinescu, S.; Costache, M. Regulation of Inﬂammasome by microRNAs in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: New Opportunities for Therapy. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24, 3245. [https://](https://)[ ](https://)[doi.org/10.3390/ijms24043245](doi.org/10.3390/ijms24043245) Academic Editors: Christos Papadimitriou, Flora Zagouri and Michalis Liontos Received: 21 December 2022 Revised: 28 January 2023 Accepted: 2 February 2023 Published: 7 February 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bucharest, 050095 Bucharest, Romania 2 Research Institute of the University of Bucharest, 050663 Bucharest, Romania * Correspondence: [sorina.dinescu@bio.unibuc.ro](sorina.dinescu@bio.unibuc.ro) Abstract: During the past decade, researchers have investigated the molecular mechanisms of breast cancer initiation and progression, especially triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), in order to identify speciﬁc biomarkers that could serve as feasible targets for innovative therapeutic strategies development. TNBC is characterized by a dynamic and aggressive nature, due to the absence of estrogen, progesterone and human epidermal growth factor 2 receptors. TNBC progression is associated with the dysregulation of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inﬂammasome, followed by the release of proinﬂammatory cytokines and caspase-1 dependent cell death, termed pyroptosis. The heterogeneity of the breast tumor microenvironment triggers the interest of non-coding RNAs' involvement in NLRP3 inﬂammasome assembly, TNBC progression and metastasis. Non-coding RNAs are paramount regulators of carcinogenesis and inﬂammasome pathways, which could help in the development of efﬁcient treatments. This review aims to highlight the contribution of non-coding RNAs that support inﬂammasome activation and TNBC progression, pointing up their potential for clinical applications as biomarkers for diagnosis and therapy. Keywords: triple-negative breast cancer; inﬂammasome; pyroptosis; microRNAs; targeted therapy 1. Introduction The breast is a complex structure, which is organized in 15 to 25 lobes of different sizes that are connected with lactiferous ducts that terminate in the nipple, ductal formationsand glandular tissue, all of these being surrounded by ﬁbro-adipose tissue [1] . Speciﬁcally, the adult breast is a tissue highly variable in conformation, adiposity and volume, due to the different proportions between adipose, ﬁbrous and glandular tissue, among which are also found blood and lymphatic vessels. The corresponding distribution of fat and collagenous components differs among women and is inﬂuenced by hormonal, physiologic and environmental factors [2] . Breast cancer (BC) is a dynamic, aggressive and heterogeneous disease that is the principle cause of death among women worldwide, but that also affects men [3] . This neoplasm has the potential to be determined by exposure to both genetic and non-genetic risk factors such as gender, age, menopause, nulliparity, obesity, alcohol abuse and exposure to hormones, radiation or therapy [1] . The early detection and diagnosis of BC is based on screening techniques (ultrasound, mammography, contrast-enhanced digital mammography, magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography), microwave imaging techniques (microwave tomographic, rad

FAQs

What is the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in TNBC progression?

The review links TNBC progression to dysregulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, leading to release of proinflammatory cytokines and caspase-1-dependent cell death (pyroptosis).

Why are microRNAs considered important in TNBC and inflammasome regulation?

Non-coding RNAs, especially microRNAs, are described as paramount regulators of carcinogenesis and inflammasome pathways, influencing NLRP3 inflammasome assembly and TNBC progression and metastasis.

How does this review position microRNAs for clinical applications?

It highlights microRNAs that support inflammasome activation and TNBC progression, pointing to their potential as biomarkers for diagnosis and therapy and as targets for more efficient treatments.

Sep 24, 2026

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