Regulation of detoxification enzymes by food components in intestinal epithelial cells

Abstract

The intestinal epithelial cells serve as a frontline to the intestinal tract. These cells serve various important functions and harbor the detoxification enzymes that function as an essential intestinal biological barrier system. The detoxification enzymes catalyze oxidation (phase I), conjugation (phase II), and excretion (phase III) reactions in three phases of metabolism to eliminate toxic compounds from the body. These detoxification enzymes are regulated by transcription factors, particularly nuclear receptors and drug receptors, such as the pregnane X receptor (PXR) and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). On the other hand, because intestinal epithelial cells are routinely exposed to food, the activity of detoxification enzymes is thought to be regulated by food components. In this review, we highlight research from our group and others that have focused on understanding the role of food components in regulating the expression of detoxification enzymes via transcription factors in intestinal epithelial cells.