Apolipoprotein E is a Concentration-dependent Pulmonary Danger Signal that Activates the NLRP3 Inflammasome and IL-1β Secretion by Asthmatic Macrophages.

APOE can function as an endogenous, concentration-dependent pulmonary danger signal that primes and activates the NLPR3 inflammasome in asthmatic BALF macrophages to secrete IL-1β. This may represent a mechanism by which APOE amplifies pulmonary inflammatory responses when concentrations in the lung are increased above normal levels, which may occur during viral exacerbations of house dust mite-induced asthma characterized by neutrophilic airway inflammation.