Abstract: Diabetes-related ocular complications—such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic keratopathy, and diabetic cataracts—can severely impair patients' vision. Pyroptosis, an inflammatory type of programmed cell death, plays a critical role in the onset and progression of these disorders. The activation of the NLRP3 (NOD-like receptor pyrin domain 3) inflammasome is central to the pyroptotic process. Through inflammasome activation and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, pyroptosis contributes to damage in ocular tissues including the retina, cornea, and lens, thereby accelerating the progression of diabetes-related eye diseases. Inhibitors of pyroptosis, such as MCC950, calcitriol, oridonin, and disulfiram, have been shown to alleviate ocular inflammation by suppressing inflammasome activation, offering potential for improved clinical outcomes.

Key words: Diabetes-related eye diseases, Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor pyrin domain 3(NLRP3), Gasdermin D(GSDMD), Pyroptosis, Pyroptosis inhibitor