Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41892344›Full record

ArticleCells2026

Quercetin Alleviates Cerebral Ischemia-Induced Neuroinflammation by Inhibiting Microglia-Mediated NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD Pathway.

Da Shen, Weiao Kong, Haoke Qiu, Huiling Yuan, Wanyi Wu, Lefan Huang, Zixin Yin, Lisheng Chu, Lijun Ge

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cells, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Da ShenCollege of Life Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
Weiao KongCollege of Life Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
Haoke QiuCollege of Life Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
Huiling YuanCollege of Life Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
Wanyi WuCollege of Life Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
Lefan HuangCollege of Life Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
Zixin YinCollege of Life Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
Lisheng ChuDepartment of Physiology, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.ORCID 0000-0001-5149-5881
Lijun GeCollege of Life Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.

Funding

the National Science and Technology Major Project 2023ZD0505605the "Sharp Spear and Leading Goose" R&D Program of Zhejiang Province 2024C03105the Traditional Chinese Medicine Administration of Zhejiang Province 2025ZL032
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In the pathological cascade of cerebral ischemia, the pyroptosis axis mediated by the NLRP3 inflammasome in activated microglia is a core link driving neuroinflammation and secondary brain injury. Quercetin has been proven to possess multi-target neuroprotective activity, and its anti-inflammatory effect has attracted particular attention. However, direct molecular evidence is lacking regarding how quercetin precisely regulates the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD core pyroptosis axis in microglia in cerebral ischemia models and whether it can directly target NLRP3 to inhibit this axis, thereby alleviating cerebral ischemic injury. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism by which quercetin alleviates cerebral ischemic injury through inhibiting the pyroptosis axis, combining cellular and animal models with molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. The oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) model of BV2 microglia and the photothrombotic (PT) model of focal cortical ischemia in male C57BL/6 mice were used to detect the ameliorative effect of quercetin on cerebral ischemia-related injury through cellular and animal experiments. AutoDock Vina 1.5.7 and GROMACS 2025.3 software were employed for molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations, respectively, to analyze the binding mode and complex stability between quercetin and the NLRP3 protein. The results showed that quercetin could significantly ameliorate OGD-induced injury in BV2 cells and downregulate the expression of pyroptosis and inflammation-related proteins and factors. Meanwhile, it relieved motor dysfunction in PT mice, attenuated cortical neuronal injury, and inhibited the activation of the cerebral pyroptosis axis. At the molecular level, molecular simulation predictions indicated that quercetin might specifically bind to the NACHT domain of the NLRP3 protein, forming a complex with a stable conformation, and van der Waals interactions served as the main driving force for binding. This study confirmed that quercetin can directly bind to the NLRP3 protein and alleviate cerebral ischemia-induced inflammatory injury by inhibiting the activation of the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD pyroptosis axis and the release of downstream inflammatory factors. Combined with the molecular simulation results, a predictive hypothesis is proposed: direct binding of quercetin to the NLRP3 protein is one of its core mechanisms of action. These findings provide direct experimental evidence for the development of NLRP3-based drugs against ischemic brain injury.

Indexed as

Brain IschemiaCaspase 1MicrogliaNeuroinflammatory DiseasesNLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 ProteinQuercetinAnimalsMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMolecular Docking SimulationMolecular Dynamics SimulationPyroptosisSignal TransductionCasp1 protein, mouseCaspase 1NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 ProteinNlrp3 protein, mouseQuercetincerebral ischemiainflammasomeneuroinflammationpyroptosisquercetin

Identifiers

PMID41892344
PMCPMC13024868

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Registered trials

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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.