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ISSN 1001-5256 (Print)
ISSN 2097-3497 (Online)
CN 22-1108/R
Volume 41 Issue 9
Sep.  2025
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Article Contents

Mechanisms of aryl hydrocarbon receptor in liver diseases

DOI: 10.12449/JCH250935
Research funding:

Guangxi Natural Science Foundation-Funded Project (2024GXNSFDA010042)

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  • Corresponding author: HU Kai, hukai@gxmu.edu.cn (ORCID: 0000-0003-4990-0395)
  • Received Date: 2025-01-05
  • Accepted Date: 2025-02-05
  • Published Date: 2025-09-25
  • Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) plays an important role in the development and progression of liver diseases. This article elaborates on the structure of AhR and its function in liver development and provides a detailed analysis of its molecular mechanisms in diseases such as metabolic associated fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, viral hepatitis, drug-induced liver injury, autoimmune hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer. This article also reviews the research advances in AhR agonists and antagonists and analyzes their potential application prospects in disease treatment. At the same time, it points out that although AhR is a promising therapeutic target, there are still various challenges in its clinical application. It is suggested that future research should focus on developing AhR modulators with high specificity and low toxicity and further explore its mechanism of action in different liver diseases.

     

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