NLRP3 and periodontitis: Flow cytometry profiles also confirmed the three macrophage subpopulations in the gingival tissue and showed an increased proportion of CD11b+ NLRP3+ macrophages in gingival tissue in periodontitis patients compared with that in healthy individuals (Figure 6E and Supplementary Figure S4B), which suggested that the CD11b+ NLRP3+ subpopulation is highly associated with the development of periodontitis.