Re: IBD & Dioxins Link?

> > link between IBD and Dioxins?

www.nature.com/nature/journal/v453/n7191/edsumm/e080501-10.html

Toxins and autoimmunity
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a transcription factor best
known for mediating the toxicity of aromatic hydrocarbons such as
dioxin: its activation leads to the production of detoxification
enzymes. AHR has been intensely studied in relation to toxicology and
cancer research, but no mechanistic connection to the immune system
was known. Now two groups re****t a role for AHR in maintaining the
balance between two T-lymphocyte populations =97 the Treg and TH17 cells
=97 that are part of the immune regulation system dealing with tolerance
of self-antigens and pathogen clearance. Both groups also show that
AHR affects the severity of experimental autoimmune encephalitis, a
mouse model of multiple sclerosis. This work raises the possibility
that stimulation of AHR by environmental factors could be involved in
the development of autoimmune disease, and point to AHR as a possible
drug target for immunomodulation.