Inflammasome Activation and Molecular Mechanisms Involved in COVID-19 Severity: A Systematic Review

Introduction: In recent decades, three significant coronaviruses have posed threats to public health: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and in December 2019, a novel SARS-CoV-2 type coronavirus was reported in patients with viral pneumonia in Wuhan province. It was later named COVID-19 in March 2020 when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 infections primarily manifest as respiratory illnesses leading to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). There is hyperactivation of the inflammatory response that results in increased production of inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin IL-1β, and its downstream molecule IL-6, which serves as an aggravating factor of this disease. The inflammasome is a multiprotein complex involved in caspase-1 activation that leads to IL-1β activation in various diseases and infections, such as SARS-CoV-2 infection, and in different tissues.