“ferric ammonium citrate-induced interleukin-1b production is dependent on caspase-1 and is significantly inhibited by an Fe2+-specific chelator. Ferric ammonium citrate consistently induced interleukin-1b secretion in THP1 cells, but not in NLRP3-deficient THP1 cells, indicating a requirement for the NLRP3 inflammasome. Additionally, activation of the inflammasome is mediated by potas- sium efflux, reactive oxygen species-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction, and lysosomal membrane permeabilization. Thus, these results suggest that monocytes/macrophages not only sequestrate iron during inflammation, but also mediate inflammation in response to cellular labile iron, which provides novel insights into the role of iron in chronic inflammation.”