School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Institute of Clinical Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.
Front Immunol. 2022 Mar 22;13:797815. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.797815. eCollection 2022.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most common autoimmune disease, is characterized by symmetrical synovial inflammation of multiple joints with the infiltration of pro-inflammatory immune cells and increased cytokines (CKs) levels. In the past few years, numerous studies have indicated that several factors could affect RA, such as mutations in susceptibility genes, epigenetic modifications, age, and race. Recently, environmental factors, particularly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), have attracted increasing attention in RA pathogenesis. Therefore, exploring the specific mechanisms of PAHs in RA is vitally critical. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in understanding the mechanisms of PAHs and aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AHRs) in RA. Additionally, the development of therapeutic drugs that target AHR is also reviewed. Finally, we discuss the challenges and perspectives on AHR application in the future.
类风湿关节炎（RA）是最常见的自身免疫性疾病，其特征是多个关节出现对称滑膜炎症，伴有促炎免疫细胞浸润和细胞因子（CKs）水平升高。在过去的几年中，大量研究表明，多种因素可能影响 RA，如易感基因的突变、表观遗传修饰、年龄和种族。最近，环境因素，特别是多环芳烃（PAHs），在 RA 发病机制中引起了越来越多的关注。因此，探索 PAHs 在 RA 中的具体机制至关重要。在这篇综述中，我们总结了目前对 PAHs 和芳烃受体（AHR）在 RA 中作用机制的理解进展。此外，还回顾了针对 AHR 的治疗药物的开发。最后，我们讨论了 AHR 在未来应用中的挑战和展望。
