Endothelial Acid Sphingomyelinase Promotes NLRP3 Inflammasome and Neointima Formation During Hypercholesterolemia

The NOD-like receptor pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is activated during atherogenesis, but how this occurs is unclear. Here, we explored the mechanisms activating and regulating NLRP3 inflammasomes via the acid sphingomyelinase (ASM)-ceramide signaling pathway. As a neointima formation model, partial left carotid ligations were performed on endothelial cell (EC)-specific ASM transgene mice (Smpd1(trg)/EC(cre)) and their control littermates (Smpd1(trg)/WT and WT/WT) fed on the Western diet (WD). We found neointima formation remarkably increased in Smpd1(trg)/EC(cre) mice over their control littermates. Next, we observed enhanced colocalization of NLRP3 versus adaptor protein ASC (the adaptor molecule apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD) or caspase-1 in the carotid ECs of WD-treated Smpd1(trg)/EC(cre) mice but not in their control littermates. In addition, we used membrane raft (MR) marker flotillin-1 and found more aggregation of ASM and ceramide in the intima of Smpd1(trg)/EC(cre) mice than their control littermates. Moreover, we demonstrated by in situ dihydroethidium staining, carotid intimal superoxide levels were much higher in WD-treated Smpd1(trg)/EC(cre) mice than in their control littermates. Using ECs from Smpd1(trg)/EC(cre) and WT/WT mice, we showed ASM overexpression markedly enhanced 7-ketocholesterol (7-Ket)-induced increases in NLRP3 inflammasome formation, accompanied by enhanced caspase-1 activity and elevated interleukin-1β levels. These 7-Ket-induced increases were significantly attenuated by ASM inhibitor amitriptyline. Furthermore, we determined that increased MR clustering with NADPH oxidase subunits to produce superoxide contributes to 7-Ket-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation via a thioredoxin-interacting protein-mediated controlling mechanism. We conclude that ceramide from ASM plays a critical role in NLRP3 inflammasome activation during hypercholesterolemia via MR redox signaling platforms to produce superoxide, which leads to TXNIP dissociation.