Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41961740›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

Human resistin is critical to activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages.

Udeshika Kariyawasam, Winson Lam, John Skinner, Rituparna Chakrabarti, Andrea Cox, Paul M Hassoun, Qing Lin, Roger A Johns

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Udeshika KariyawasamDepartment of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Winson LamDepartment of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2403-9063
John SkinnerDepartment of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Rituparna ChakrabartiDepartment of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6859-4704
Andrea CoxDepartment of Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Paul M HassounDepartment of Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4264-6435
Qing LinDepartment of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8890-800X
Roger A JohnsDepartment of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9232-2434

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Elevated levels of human resistin (hResistin) have been associated with diverse inflammatory diseases, but the precise mechanisms through which hResistin's many inflammatory effects contribute to the progression of these diseases remain poorly understood. NLRP3 inflammasome activation is essential in many of these inflammatory conditions; however, there is an unmet explanation connecting hResistin with the NLRP3 inflammatory pathway. Here we describe a unique role of hResistin and its rodent homolog, resistin-like molecule alpha (RELMα) in priming and activating the NLRP3 inflammasome. Through qPCR and western blot analysis, we found that hResistin-dependent expression and secretion of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) in human macrophages primes the expression of NLRP3, pro-caspase-1, pro-interleukin(IL)-1β, and pro-IL-18. Co-immunoprecipitation showed that hResistin binds to Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), which causes the kinase to autophosphorylate. Afterwards, BTK phosphorylates NLRP3, leading to its assembly and activation with subsequent cleavage of pro-caspase-1, pro-IL-1β, and pro-IL-18, causing initiation of the inflammasome cascade. The hResistin-dependent activation and secretion of IL-1β and IL-18 were critical to the proliferation of human pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells. For confirmation in vivo, we studied rodent and human pulmonary hypertension (PH). Chronic hypoxia-induced PH in wild-type and RELMα KO mice showed RELMα-dependent upregulation of HMGB1, BTK, and NLRP3 in mouse lung and RELMα was linked to vascular remodeling pathways. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the majority of NLRP3-expressing cells were macrophages and the colocalization of hResistin, BTK, and NLRP3 in macrophages was increased in PH patients' lungs. Our work reveals a novel immune mechanism demonstrating hResistin is essential to the priming and activation of NLRP3. Inhibiting NLRP3 activation by blocking hResistin with a human monoclonal antibody suggests a likely therapeutic pathway for NLRP3-driven inflammatory diseases.

Indexed as

InflammasomesMacrophagesNLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 ProteinResistinAnimalsHMGB1 ProteinHumansInterleukin-1betaMiceMice, KnockoutHMGB1 ProteinInflammasomesInterleukin-1betaNLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 ProteinNLRP3 protein, humanResistinRETN protein, human

Identifiers

PMID41961740
PMCPMC13068211

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.