NLRP3 and alcohol dependence: In previous studies, the researchers thought that NLRP3 prevented the progression of choroidal neovascularization by increasing the IL-18 concentration11 while in the study of alcohol-induced liver injury, other researchers found the loss of the NLRP3 inflammasome reduced the amount of active IL-1β but dramatically increased the amount of active IL-18 in NLRP3−/− mice28.