IL1B and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: However, in clinical application, randomized clinical trials have shown that indirect inflammasome inhibitors such as IL-18 and IL-1β monoclonal antibodies have no effect in patients with moderate to severe COPD, indicating that although IL-1-like cytokines exist during exacerbations of the COPD, other mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of COPD and may be the main cause of inflammatory activation.