During an acute episode of gouty arthritis, deposition of MSU crystals in joints stimulates resident macrophages to produce the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and inflammatory chemokines, interleukin-8 (IL-8), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) [15,16]. This evidence concerns the gene IL1B and gout.