Aryl hydrocarbon receptor as a new therapeutic target for cancer and immune disorders

Table 1 Immune cell types that are regulated by aryl hydrocarbon receptor

Cell type	AhR-dependent effect	Ref.
Th	Absence of AhR increases secretion of inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-12)	[71]
Treg	Activation of AhR by TCDD increases their proliferation	[58]
Tr1	IL-27-induces AhR activity, which in combinatio with c-Maf, suppresses their differentiation	[72]
B cells	TCDD enhances IgM secretion and inhibits the differentiation of plasma cells	[73]
DCs	TCDD reduces the number of splenic DCs	[74]
Macrophage	AhR-STAT1 interactions suppress the activation and differentiation of macrophage, and induces the IgA receptor FcαRI. TCDD reduces CD11a expression.	[49,75] [76]

AhR: Aryl hydrocarbon receptor; Th: T helper lymphocytes; T_reg: T regulatory lymphocytes; Tr1: T regulatory 1 lymphocyte; DCs: Dendritic cells; TCDD: 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.

Table 2 Degenerative diseases modified by aryl hydrocarbon receptor

Degenerative disease	AhR-dependent effect	Ref.
Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis	TCDD suppresses the disease by inducing T reg cells FICZ exacerbates the disease	[58]
GVHD	TCDD prevents the disease by generating T reg cells	[46]
Colitis	FICZ exacerbates disease	[77]
Collagen-induced arthritis	AhR exacerbates the diseas	[78]
Autoimmune uveoretinitis	TCDD suppresses the disease	[79]
Spontaneous autoimmune diabetes	TCDD suppresses the disease	[80]
Experimental multiple sclerosis	AhR activation reduces inflammation via Tr1 induction	[72]
Experimental lupus	Induction of Tr1 by AhR activation stops the inflammatory process	[81]
Rheumatoid arthritis	AhR activation by TCDD exacerbates the disease	[82]

AhR: Aryl hydrocarbon receptor; TCDD: 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.