Caspase-5 is an inflammatory cysteine protease that plays a role in the innate immune system. Along with caspase-1 it is also sometimes involved in inflammasome activation. Caspase-5 inhibitors are sought for their ability to halt inflammatory processes. Most currently available caspase-5 inhibitors are peptide-based, though some small-molecule inhibitors can be purchased. Recent efforts have attempted to expand the number of caspase-5 specific inhibitors so as to further study their role separate from that of caspsase-1.