Description
C.pn potentiated hyperlipidemia-induced inflammasome activity in cultured macrophages and in foam cells in atherosclerotic lesions of Ldlr/ mice. We discovered that C.pn-induced extracellular IL-1 triggers a negative feedback loop to inhibit GPR109a and ABCA1 expression and cholesterol efflux leading to accumulation of intracellular cholesterol and foam cell formation. Gpr109a and Abca1 were both upregulated in plaque lesions in Nlrp3/ mice in both hyperlipidemic and C.pn infection models.