Receptor-mediated toxicity

Toxic agents, particularly those that exert their actions with a great deal of specificity, sometimes act via receptors to which they bind with high affinity. Some examples of soluble intracellular receptors, which are important in mediating toxic responses, are discussed in this paper. The first example is the glucocorticoid receptor, which can act as a model for other receptors but is also involved in mediating toxicity associated effects such as apoptosis of lymphocytes as well as neuronal degeneration as a response to stress. Other examples discussed are the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) which is associated with hepatocarcinogenesis in rodents, and the dioxin receptor which is involved in a whole range of toxic effects. The final example given is an interesting mechanism for tissue specific accumulation of a metabolite of polychlorinated biphenyls.