CASP1 and diabetes mellitus: However, there was no significant increase in caspase-1 activity in retinas of diabetic IL-1R1−/− mice compared to non-diabetic IL-1R1−/− or WT mice indicating that caspase-1 activation progresses from an IL-1R1 independent mechanism at 10 weeks of diabetes to an IL-1R1 dependent mechanism at 20 weeks of diabetes (Figure 1B).