IL18 and atherosclerosis: This anti-inflammatory effect is critical, given the established role of NLRP3 in driving atherosclerosis through IL-1β/IL-18-mediated vascular inflammation Notabley, NS combination therapy NS combination therapy restored the balance of apoptotic regulators, upregulating the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 while downregulating the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Caspase-3 (Fig 6).