Mitochondria participate in various intracellular metabolic pathways such as generating intracellular ATP, synthesizing several essential molecules, regulating calcium homeostasis, and producing the cell’s reactive oxygen species (ROS). Emerging studies have demonstrated newly discovered roles of mitochondria, which participate in the regulation of innate immune responses by modulating NLRP3 inflammasomes. Here, we review the recently proposed pathways to be involved in mitochondria-mediated regulation of inflammasome activation and inflammation: 1) mitochondrial ROS, 2) calcium mobilization, 3) nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) reduction, 4) cardiolipin, 5) mitofusin, 6) mitochondrial DNA, 7) mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein. Furthermore, we highlight the significance of mitophagy as a negative regulator of mitochondrial damage and NLRP3 inflammasome activation, as potentially helpful therapeutic approaches which could potentially address uncontrolled inflammation.

• Hyun Ah Lee(Department of Oral Microbiology, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50162, Korea)
• Hee Sam Na(Department of Oral Microbiology, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50162, Korea)
• Jin Chung(Department of Oral Microbiology, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50162, Korea) Corresponding author