NLRP3 and renal fibrosis: Notably, recent research found that ER stress is involved in angiotensin II-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and pretreatment with 4-PBA could reduce the expression of both NLRP3 and inflammatory cytokines, suggesting that 4-PBA serves as a potential agent to reduce renal fibrosis [142] (Table 1).