NLRP3 and acute coronary syndrome: Regarding coronary atherosclerosis, NLRP3 is thought to be correlated with the severity of acute coronary syndrome (ACS); that is patients with ACS present higher levels of NLRP3 protein in peripheral blood monocytes and higher levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in plasma than control patients, and the levels of NLRP3 increased with the severity of the disease [42].