Infliximab inhibits TNF-α-dependent activation of the NLRP3/IL-1β pathway in acne inversa

Background: Acne inversa (AI) is a refractory inflammatory skin disease, and TNF-α plays an important role in the pathogenesis of AI. By blocking TNF-α, infliximab (IFX) has been proven to be a promising method.

Objectives: To explore the underlying mechanisms of IFX treatment in AI patients.

Methods: In this research, we integrated transcriptome Sequencing data from the samples of our patients with AI and the GEO database. Ex vivo skin culture of AI patients was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of IFX treatment. Animal studies and cell experiments were used to explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of IFX treatment.

Results: Both TNF-α and NLRP3 inflammasome-related pathways were enriched in skin lesions of AI patients and murine AI models. After IFX treatment, the NLRP3 inflammasome-related pathway was effectively blocked, and the IL-1β level was normalized in ex vivo AI skin explants and murine AI models. Mechanistically, IFX suppressed the NF-κB signaling pathway to lower the expression of NLRP3 and IL-1β in keratinocytes.

Conclusions: IFX treatment alleviated skin lesions in murine AI models and downregulated NLRP3 and IL-1β expression levels by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway, which was helpful for understanding the mechanism of IFX therapy.

Acne inversa; IL-1β; Infliximab; NLRP3; TNF-α.