Sodium
sulfite, a common food additive, has been proved to cause
allergic reaction. Pyroptosis is an inflammatory form of programmed
cell death with plasma membrane lysis. In this study, we found that
sodium sulfite triggered pyroptosis, which depended on reactive oxygen
species (ROS)/NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) in RBL-2H3 mast
cells. Sodium sulfite increased the generation of ROS and the expression
of NLRP3, caspase-1, gasdermin D N-terminal (GSDMD-N), interleukin-1β
(IL-1β), and interleukin-18 (IL-18). The ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-carnosine
(NAC) and the NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 reversed these effects. Furthermore,
using a lactate dehydrogenase kit, propidium iodide staining, scanning
electron microscopy, colocalization of GSDMD-N with histamine, and
neutral red staining, we found that sodium sulfite notably induced
cell membrane rupture. Because β-Hexosaminidase and histamine
play a key role in allergic reactions, we detected the release of
β-Hexosaminidase and histamine. The data showed that the release
of β-Hexosaminidase and histamine induced by sodium sulfite
was increased with dose independence, which were inhibited after treatment
with NAC or MCC950. Overall, evidence suggested that pyroptosis induced
by sodium sulfite may rupture the cell membrane and result in degranulation
of mast cells. Our study may provide new insights for the mechanism
by which sodium sulfite induces mast cell death and sensitization.