NLRP3 and keloid: Lee et al. showed that compared to normal fibroblasts, keloid fibroblasts express higher mRNA levels of IL-1β and IL-18, and higher protein levels of NLRP3, its activator Notch1, the proinflammatory transcription factor NF-κB, and α-smooth muscle actin (SMA), which is a marker of myofibroblasts: these cells play a key role in the excessive production of ECM that is the hallmark of keloids.