Activation of the arylhydrocarbon receptor sensitizes to acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure

Acetaminophen (APAP)- induced liver damage is one of the most common causes of acute liver failure. However, the risk factors determining hypersensitivity to APAP remain poorly defined. The transcription factor arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which can be activated by environmental, dietary, microbial and metabolic ligands, is a direct inducer of CYP1A2, one of the major enzymes involved in the generation of toxic APAP metabolites. Therefore, we...