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World J Clin Cases. Apr 16, 2023; 11(11): 2386-2395
Published online Apr 16, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i11.2386
Pyroptosis and its role in cancer
Shi-Wei Liu, Wen-Jing Song, Gui-Kai Ma, Hui Wang, Liang Yang
Shi-Wei Liu, Department of Joint Surgery, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, Liaoning Province, China
Wen-Jing Song, Gui-Kai Ma, Hui Wang, Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261000, Shandong Province, China
Liang Yang, Department of Joint Surgery, The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116023, Liaoning Province, China
Author contributions: Song WJ and Yang L contributed to conceptualization; Ma GK and Wang H contributed to data collection and analysis; Liu SW, Song WJ, and Ma GK contributed to manuscript writing; Yang L contributed to final approval of manuscript; All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no conflict of interest in this work.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Liang Yang, MD, PhD, Chief Physician, Department of Joint Surgery, The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, No. 467 Zhongshan Road, Shahekou District, Dalian 116023, Liaoning Province, China. 18863031115@sohu.com
Received: December 26, 2022
Peer-review started: December 26, 2022
First decision: February 8, 2023
Revised: February 23, 2023
Accepted: March 14, 2023
Article in press: March 14, 2023
Published online: April 16, 2023
Processing time: 100 Days and 23.2 Hours
Abstract

Programmed cell death (PCD) is mediated by specific genes that encode signals. It can balance cell survival and death. Pyroptosis is a type of inflammatory, caspase-dependent PCD mediated by gasdermin proteins, which function in pore formation, cell expansion, and plasma membrane rupture, followed by the release of intracellular contents. Pyroptosis is mediated by caspase-1/3/4/5/11 and is primarily divided into the classical pathway, which is dependent on caspase-1, and the non-classical pathway, which is dependent on caspase-4/5/11. Inflammasomes play a vital role in these processes. The various components of the pyroptosis pathway are related to the occurrence, invasion, and metastasis of tumors. Research on pyroptosis has revealed new options for tumor treatment. This article summarizes the recent research progress on the molecular mechanism of pyroptosis, the relationship between the various components of the pyroptosis pathway and cancer, and the applications and prospects of pyroptosis in anticancer therapy.

Keywords: Pyroptosis; Caspase-1/3/4/5/11; Gasdermin family; Cancer

Core Tip: Pyroptosis is a type of inflammatory caspase-dependent programmed cell death mediated by gasdermin proteins, which function in pore formation, cell swelling, and cell membrane rupture. This review discusses the classical and non-classical pathways of pyroptosis and the recent research progress on the molecular mechanisms of pyroptosis. We also review the relationship between various pyroptosis pathway components and different cancers, including nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 inflammasomes, interleukin (IL)-18, IL-1β, and absent in melanoma 2. The potential applications of this form of cell death as a cancer treatment approach are also explored.