Pregnane X receptor activation constrains mucosal NF-[kappa]B activity in active inflammatory bowel disease

The Pregnane X Receptor (PXR) is a principal signal transducer in mucosal responses to xenobiotic stress. It is well-recognized that inflammatory bowel disease is accompanied by xenobiotic stress, but the importance of the PXR in limiting inflammatory responses in inflammatory bowel disease remains obscure at best. We stimulate a total of 106 colonic biopsies from 19 Crohn's disease patients with active disease, 36 colonic biopsies from 8 control patients, colonic organoids and various cell culture models (either proficient or genetically deficient with respect to PXR) in vitro with the PXR ligand rifampicin or vehicle. Effects on NF-[kappa]B activity are assessed by measuring interleukin-8 (IL-8) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) mRNA levels by qPCR and in cell culture models by NF-[kappa]B reporter-driven luciferase activity and Western blot for signal transduction elements. We observe a strict inverse correlation between colonic epithelial PXR levels and NF-[kappa]B target gene expression in colonic biopsies from Crohn's disease patients. PXR, activated by rifampicin, is rate-limiting for mucosal NF-[kappa]B activation in IBD. The correlation between colonic epithelial PXR levels and NF-[kappa]B target gene expression was also observed in intestinal organoids system. Furthermore, in preclinical in vitro models of intestinal inflammation, including intestinal organoids, genetic inactivation of PXR unleashes NF-[kappa]B-dependent signal transduction whereas conversely NF-[kappa]B signaling reduces levels of PXR expression. Our data indicate that the PXR is a major and clinically relevant antagonist of NF-[kappa]B activity in the intestinal epithelial compartment during inflammatory bowel disease.