A patent review of NLRP3 inhibitors to treat autoimmune diseases

ABSTRACT

Introduction

NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) can sense a plethora of exogenous and endogenous dangers. Upon activation, a multimeric protein complex, the NLRP3 inflammasome, is formed to initiate the innate immune responses. Emerging studies have implicated the pathophysiological roles of this protein complex in human disorders, highlighting that it represents a druggable target for therapeutics development.

Areas covered

The current review summarizes the functional facets of the NLRP3 inflammasome, its association with autoimmune diseases, and recent patents on the development of NLRP3 inhibitors. Literature search was conducted using SciFinder and Google Patents with the key word NLRP3 and NLRP3 inhibitors.

Expert opinion

Although significant advances have been made in understanding the NLRP3 inflammasome, more studies are still needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying its roles in autoimmune diseases. A number of NLRP3 inhibitors have been patented, however, none of them have been approved for clinical use. Due to the complex nature of the NLRP3 inflammasome, novel screening assays along with target engagement methods could benefit the drug discovery and clinical translation. In addition, clinical trials on NLRP3 inhibitors are still in their early stages, and continuous investigations are needed to fully assess their safety and effectiveness.

KEYWORDS:

• NLRP3 inflammasome
• autoimmune diseases
• small molecule inhibitors
• SAR
• Therapeutics

Article highlights

• The review provided a comprehensive examination of the NLRP3 inflammasome, including its architecture, activation, and role in autoimmune diseases.

• The review provided a coverage of the patents on NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors from 2016-present. Their efficiencies in preclinical disease models are also discussed.

• We comprehensively reviewed the inhibitors based on different chemical scaffolds and their SARs from published patents.

• The potential applications and mechanism of action of MCC950 in treating autoimmune diseases are discussed in detail.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Author contribution

Y. Xu, S. Biby and B. Kaur conducted the literature search and manuscript writing. Y. Xu and S. Biby prepared the figures. S. Zhang conceptualized, wrote and edited the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported in part by the NIA of the NIH under award number U01AG076481 and RF1AG076912 (SZ), Commonwealth of Virginia’s Alzheimer’s and Related Disease Research Award Fund administered by the Center on Aging, School of Allied Health Professions, Virginia Commonwealth University (SZ).