Research

Research Overview

We are constantly surrounded by a wide range of chemical substances, including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, pesticides, food additives, and dietary supplements. The development and appropriate use of beneficial chemicals are essential for supporting modern, healthy, and fulfilling lives. At the same time, adverse effects—such as drug-induced side effects and chemical-related environmental pollution—have raised increasing public concern.

To address these issues, it is critical to deepen our understanding of how the body responds to and detoxifies chemicals. In particular, drug-metabolizing enzymes, which are highly expressed in the liver, play a central role in detoxification. Their expression levels are dynamically regulated by exposure to foreign substances and by changes in physiological or nutritional states. A key group of proteins known as nuclear receptors has emerged as major regulators of this process.

Nuclear receptors are also involved in diverse biological functions—including hormone regulation, glucose and lipid metabolism, cell growth, cancer development, and inflammation—all of which may intersect with chemical toxicity. Notably, species-specific differences in nuclear receptors are known to contribute to variability in chemical responses between humans and animals.