Progress in Research on Nuclear Receptors as Therapeutic Targets for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) is a chronic intestinal inflammatory disease whose pathogenesis is still unclear. It is currently believed to be associated with inflammation and intestinal mucosal damage. Nuclear receptors are important transcriptional regulators, including pregnane X receptor (PXR), farnesoid X receptor (FXR), and constitutive androstane receptors(CAR), etc. In recent years, it has been found that nuclear receptors can play an important role in intestinal protection of IBD by inhibiting inflammatory signaling pathways, regulating intestinal tight junction proteins and metabolic enzyme expression to alleviate intestinal inflammation and maintain intestinal mucosal barrier function. Therefore, This article reviews the protective effects of nuclear receptors PXR, FXR and CAR on the intestinal tract of IBD, which might provide new ideas for the treatment of IBD based on nuclear receptors targets.