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Review
. 2021 Jun 1;1867(6):166101.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2021.166101. Epub 2021 Feb 15.

The xenobiotic receptors PXR and CAR in liver physiology, an update

Xinran Cai  1 , Gregory M Young  1 , Wen Xie  2
Affiliations
Review

The xenobiotic receptors PXR and CAR in liver physiology, an update

Xinran Cai et al. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. .

Abstract

Pregnane X receptor (PXR) and constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) are two nuclear receptors that are well-known for their roles in xenobiotic detoxification by regulating the expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters. In addition to metabolizing drugs and other xenobiotics, the same enzymes and transporters are also responsible for the production and elimination of numerous endogenous chemicals, or endobiotics. Moreover, both PXR and CAR are highly expressed in the liver. As such, it is conceivable that PXR and CAR have major potentials to affect the pathophysiology of the liver by regulating the homeostasis of endobiotics. In recent years, the physiological functions of PXR and CAR in the liver have been extensively studied. Emerging evidence has suggested the roles of PXR and CAR in energy metabolism, bile acid homeostasis, cell proliferation, to name a few. This review summarizes the recent progress in our understanding of the roles of PXR and CAR in liver physiology.

Keywords: Bile acid homeostasis; CAR; Cell proliferation; Energy metabolism; PXR; Xenobiotic receptors.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Schematic summary of the functions of PXR in liver physiology
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Schematic summary of the functions of CAR in liver physiology
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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