Deficiency of the Purinergic Receptor 2X₇ Attenuates Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Induced by High-Fat Diet: Possible Role of the NLRP3 Inflammasome

Figure 6

Hepatic NLRP3 inflammasome expression and activation. Liver mRNA expression of Casp1 (a), Pycard (b), and Il1β (c); Western blot analysis of caspase-1 and housekeeping β-actin in liver protein extracts from representative animals (d) and quantification of 20 kDa subunit (active caspase-1) relative to β-actin (e) in NFD- and HFD-fed WT mice and P2x₇r^−/− mice (mean ± SD; per group). or versus the corresponding NFD-fed mice; or versus WT mice. NLRP3 = nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain (NOD), leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain containing 3; Casp1 = caspase-1 gene; Pycard = PYD-CARD adaptor protein apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD gene; Il1β = interleukin- (IL-) 1β gene; NFD = normal-fat diet; HFD = high-fat diet; WT = wild type; P2x₇r^−/− = knockout for purinergic receptor 2X₇ gene.

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