Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand dependent transcription factor and participates in the regulation of the immune balance of Th17/22 and Treg cells. It has been found to be widely expressed in the skin, and involved in the pathology of psoriasis. Therefore, AHR is thought as a potential intervention target for psoriasis. Here, we report the discovery of 5-((1H-indazol-3-yl) methylene)-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-one derivatives as a new class of AHR agonists. Structure-activity relationship analyses led to the identification of the most active compound, 5- ((1H-indazol-3-yl)methylene) -3- (prop-2-yn-1-yl) -2-thiooimidazolidin-4-one (24e), which exhibited an EC₅₀ value of 0.015 µM against AHR. Mechanism of action studies showed that 24e regulated the expression of CYP1A1 by activating the AHR pathway. Topical administration of 24e substantially alleviated imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like skin lesion. Overall, compound 24e could be a good lead compound for drug discovery against psoriasis, and hence deserving further in-depth studies.

芳烃受体（AHR）是一种配体依赖性转录因子，参与Th17/22和Treg细胞免疫平衡的调节。已发现它在皮肤中广泛表达，并参与银屑病的病理学。因此，AHR被认为是银屑病的潜在干预目标。在这里，我们报告发现了 5-((1 H -indazol-3-yl) mmethyl)-2-thioimidazolidin-4-one 衍生物作为一类新的 AHR 激动剂。构效关系分析确定了最活跃的化合物 5- ((1 H -indazol-3-yl)mmethyl) -3- (prop-2-yn-1-yl) -2-thiooimidazolidin-4 -one ( 24e )，其针对 AHR 的 EC ₅₀值为 0.015 µM。作用机制研究表明24e通过激活AHR途径调节CYP1A1的表达。局部施用24e显着减轻了咪喹莫特(IMQ) 引起的银屑病样皮肤病变。总体而言，化合物24e可能是抗牛皮癣药物发现的良好先导化合物，因此值得进一步深入研究。