Liver X receptors (LXRs) are members of the superfamily of metabolic nuclear receptors, which play central roles in the regulation of cholesterol absorption, efflux, transportation and excretion and many other processes correlating with lipid metabolism. LXRs can also regulate inflammation in vitro and in vivo. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that LXR are involved in the metabolism and inflammation in human diseases. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is classically associated with lipid metabolic disorders and inflammatory responses, especially in the nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) phase. The effects of LXRs on cholesterol metabolism and inflammation make them attractive as a potential target for the treatment of NAFLD. Since the ability to synthesize triglycerides may be protective in obesity and fatty liver, the hepatic lipogenesis by LXRs should not rule out the possibility of the use of LXRs in NAFLD.
© 2012 The Authors. Journal of Digestive Diseases © 2012 Chinese Medical Association Shanghai Branch, Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.