Abstract: Cell pyroptosis is a form of pro-inflammatory programmed cell death, and its intensity depends on the activity of caspases. Caspases can cleave gasdermin family proteins to form inactive C-terminal fragments and active N-terminal fragments, the latter translocating to the membrane, resulting in the formation of perforations and consequently water infiltration and cell swelling as well as the release of inflammatory factors, and finally triggering cell pyroptosis. The signaling pathways of cell pyroptosis play an important role in the development of various diseases. As biomolecules, polysaccharides have regulatory effects on signaling molecules such as NF-kappaB (NF-κB), NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), and reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, whether polysaccharides can inhibit or activate cell pyroptosis by affecting related signaling pathways needs to be further investigated. This article reviews the signaling pathways related to cell pyroptosis, the role of cell pyroptosis in various diseases, and the roles of polysaccharides in the regulation of the pyroptosis signaling pathways, and discusses the potential role of polysaccharides in regulating cell pyroptosis, aiming to provide new ideas for the further development of functional polysaccharides.

Key words: pyroptosis; polysaccharides; NOD-like receptor protein 3; gasdermin D; gasdermin E