ArticleNature immunology2020
FDA-approved disulfiram inhibits pyroptosis by blocking gasdermin D pore formation.
Article in Nature immunology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04485130 (DISulfiram for COvid-19), which is not on this map. Cited by 687 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
DISulfiram for COvid-19 (DISCO) Trial: A Phase 2 Double-Blind, Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial of Disulfiram Compared to Standard Care in Patients With Symptomatic COVID-19
Who cites it
687 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 1,045 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and NETosis in alcohol-associated diseases: A systematic review.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2025Pooled it
- Cleavage of cellular substrate porcine gasdermin D by porcine torovirus 3C-like protease induces pyroptosis.Virulence · 2026Article
- Reprogramming bone homeostasis: The recoupling-oriented framework of bidirectional regulation strategies for osteoporosis.iScience · 2026Review
- Multimodality Molecular Profiling Nominates Targetable Mechanisms in Progressive RV Dysfunction.Circulation research · 2026Article
- The gasdermin family: from pyroptosis mechanisms to therapeutic targets.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026Review
- Disulfiram Attenuates Adenine-Induced Renal Fibrosis by Modulating Inflammatory and Immunometabolic Responses.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2026Article
- Pyroptosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Beyond the canonical NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway.Immunologic research · 2026Review
- DVT-primed neutrophils reshape the brain microenvironment to promote brain metastasis.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Neuroinflammation and Graft Survival in Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Therapies for the Central Nervous System.Journal of neurochemistry · 2026Review
- Targeting Gasdermins for Therapeutic Interventions in Central Nervous System Injury.Neurotoxicity research · 2026Review
- High-throughput screening identifies FDA approved drug mitiglinide as a novel pyroptosis inhibitor and therapeutic agent for osteoarthritis.Journal of advanced research · 2026Article
- ROS-Dependent GSDMD Activation Drives Intestinal Pyroptosis in Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC).Cell biology international · 2026Article
- Qingwen Baidu Decoction attenuates acute lung injury via macrophage exosomal miR-146a suppression of alveolar epithelial cell pyroptosis.Journal of traditional and complementary medicine · 2026Article
- Inflammaging and cytokine-driven cardiovascular senescence in age-related myocardial infarction: mechanisms, biomarkers, and precision immunotherapy strategies.Biogerontology · 2026Review
- Spatially organized regulated cell death-immune coupling in solid tumors: integrating spatial omics with actionable regulated cell death biology.Molecular cancer · 2026Review
- Neutrophil extracellular traps in thrombosis of hematologic malignancies: Underlying mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities (Review).International journal of molecular medicine · 2026Review
- Theme and variations: activation and regulation of gasdermin-mediated inflammation.Biochemical Society transactions · 2026Review
- Linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex contributes to NLRP3-mediated pyroptotic cell death.iScience · 2026Article
- Kinetic control of macrophage death by PTM-turnover crosstalk in infection and inflammation.Cell chemical biology · 2026Review
- Gasdermin D in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Pathogenic Roles and Therapeutic Perspectives.Molecular neurobiology · 2026Review
627 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
18 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Cytosolic sensing of pathogens and damage by myeloid and barrier epithelial cells assembles large complexes called inflammasomes, which activate inflammatory caspases to process cytokines (IL-1β) and gasdermin D (GSDMD). Cleaved GSDMD forms membrane pores, leading to cytokine release and inflammatory cell death (pyroptosis). Inhibiting GSDMD is an attractive strategy to curb inflammation. Here we identify disulfiram, a drug for treating alcohol addiction, as an inhibitor of pore formation by GSDMD but not other members of the GSDM family. Disulfiram blocks pyroptosis and cytokine release in cells and lipopolysaccharide-induced septic death in mice. At nanomolar concentration, disulfiram covalently modifies human/mouse Cys191/Cys192 in GSDMD to block pore formation. Disulfiram still allows IL-1β and GSDMD processing, but abrogates pore formation, thereby preventing IL-1β release and pyroptosis. The role of disulfiram in inhibiting GSDMD provides new therapeutic indications for repurposing this safe drug to counteract inflammation, which contributes to many human diseases.
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Registered trials
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 OpenQuestion graph.