Moreover, direct participation of NLRP3 in obesity has been confirmed in studies that have shown that in gene-deficient mice fed with a high-fat diet, activation of caspase-1 and expression of pro-IL-1b in adipose tissue, and serum loss of IL-18 compared to the wild-type phenotype is reduced. Here, IL18 is linked to obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency.