Inflammasomes and the IL-1 Family in Bone Homeostasis and Disease.

Small animal models have been vital to help understand how the inflammasome regulates bone dynamics. Animal models with gain or loss of function in various inflammasome components or IL-1 family signaling have illustrated how these systems can impact numerous bone pathologies and have been utilized to test new inflammasome therapeutics. It is increasingly clear that a tightly regulated inflammasome is required not only for host defense but for skeletal homeostasis, as a dysregulated inflammasome is linked to diseases of pathological bone accrual and loss. Given the complexities of inflammasome activation and redundancies in IL-1 activation and secretion, targeting these pathways is at times challenging. Ongoing research into inflammasome-mediated mechanisms will allow the development of new therapeutics for inflammasome/IL-1 diseases.