NLRP3 and type 2 diabetes mellitus: , 2018 [43], which specifically investigated the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in T2DM patients with DR, found a gradual increase in vitreous IL-1β and IL-18 as DR developed, with a significant increase in their levels in NPDR relative to control, and an even larger increase in PDR relative to NPDR.