Considering the contribution of the inflammasome to the activation of the IL-1 cytokines IL-1β and IL-18 and the role that these cytokines play in IDD, we studied the protein expression levels of the inflammasome proteins caspase-1, caspase-5, ASC and XIAP (Fig. 2a). This evidence concerns the gene IL1B and intervertebral disk degenerative disorder.