Probably because the microbiota composition had not been monitored, several earlier studies on the role of NLRP312, 48–50 and IL-1β51, 52 in experimental colitis or colon cancer using the gene-deficient mice reported discrepant results, leaving the role for NLRP3 inflammasome in inflammatory bowel disease in ambiguity for the time. Here, NLRP3 is linked to colitis.