NLRP3 and inflammatory response: In their regression analysis, researchers found that statin use was associated with interstitial lung abnormalities among smokers and that statins enhance bleomycin-induced lung inflammation and fibrosis in mice through a mechanism involving enhanced NOD-, LRR-, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation, which appears to be related to the increase in mitochondrial ROS associated with the administration of statins [137].