Intriguingly, NLRP3 depletion dampens the severity of atherosclerosis (Duewell et al., 2010), multiple sclerosis (Shaw et al., 2010), Alzheimer’s disease (Heneka et al., 2013), type 2 diabetes (Vandanmagsar et al., 2011; Wen et al., 2011), and gout (Martinon et al., 2006). This evidence concerns the gene NLRP3 and atherosclerosis.