The NLRP3 inflammasome modulates glycolysis by increasing PFKFB3 in an IL-1β-dependent manner in macrophages

Inflammation and metabolism are intricately linked during inflammatory diseases in which activation of the nucleotide-binding domain–like receptors Family Pyrin Domain Containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, an innate immune sensor, is critical. Several factors can activate the NLRP3 inflammasome, but the nature of the link between NLRP3 inflammasome activation and metabolism remains to be thoroughly explored. This study investigates whether the small molecule inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome, MCC950, modulates the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -and amyloid-β (Aβ)-induced metabolic phenotype and inflammatory signature in macrophages. LPS + Aβ induced IL-1β secretion, while pre-treatment with MCC950 inhibited this. LPS + Aβ also upregulated IL-1β mRNA and supernatant concentrations of TNFα, IL-6 and IL-10, however these changes were insensitive to MCC950, confirming that MCC950 specifically targets inflammasome activation in BMDMs. LPS + Aβ increased glycolysis and the glycolytic enzyme, PFKFB3, and these effects were decreased by MCC950. These findings suggest that NLRP3 inflammasome activation may play a role in modulating glycolysis. To investigate this further, the effect of IL-1β on glycolysis was assessed. IL-1β stimulated glycolysis and PFKFB3, mimicking the effect of LPS + Aβ and adding to the evidence that inflammasome activation impacts on metabolism. This contention was supported by the finding that the LPS + Aβ-induced changes in glycolysis and PFKFB3 were attenuated in BMDMs from NLRP3-deficient and IL-1R1-deficient mice. Consistent with a key role for PFKFB3 is the finding that the PFKFB3 inhibitor, 3PO, attenuated the LPS + Aβ-induced glycolysis. The data demonstrate that activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, and the subsequent release of IL-1β, play a key role in modulating glycolysis via PFKFB3. Reinstating metabolic homeostasis by targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome-PFKFB3 axis may provide a novel therapeutic target for treatment of acute and chronic disease.