IL1B and gout: Monosodium urate (MSU) crystals, which form in the presence of hyperuricaemia, cause gout flares in large part by activating monocytes and macrophages, with resultant NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated IL-1β release, many other local and systemic high-grade pro-inflammatory responses, and articular neutrophil influx and activation8.