NLRP3 and multiple sclerosis: Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome is an important host defense response that limits microbial invasion (25, 26); however, deregulated activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome is associated with the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, and obesity (10).