Non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) over the past years has become a metabolic pandemic linked to a collection of metabolic diseases. The nuclear receptors ERRs, REV-ERBs, RORs, FXR, PPARs, and LXR are master regulators of metabolism and liver physiology. The characterization of these nuclear receptors and their biology has promoted the development of synthetic ligands. The possibility of targeting these receptors to treat NAFLD is promising, as several compounds including Cilofexor, thiazolidinediones, and Saroglitazar are currently undergoing clinical trials. This review focuses on the latest development of the pharmacology of these metabolic nuclear receptors and how they may be utilized to treat NAFLD and subsequent comorbidities.

1. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), depression and anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue in the United States (U.S.), affecting about 20% of adults i...

Autophagy is an essential self-degradative and recycling mechanism that maintains cellular homeostasis. Estrogen receptor-related orphan receptors (ERRs) play fundamental role in regulation of cardiac metabolism and function. Previously, we showed that ERR agonists improve cardiac function in models of heart failure and induce autophagy in cardiomyocytes. Here, we characterized a mechanism by which ERRs induce autophagy in cardiomyocytes. Transcription factor EB (TFEB) is a master regulator of the autophagy-lysosome pathway and has been shown to be important in cardiac autophagy. We discovered that TFEB is a direct ERR target gene whose expression is induced by ERR agonists. Activation of ERR results in increased TFEB expression in both neonatal rat ventricular myocytes and C ₂ C ₁₂ myoblasts. ERR-dependent increases in TFEB expression results in increased expression of an array of TFEB target genes, which are critical for stimulation of autophagy. Pharmacologically targeting ERR is a promising potential method for treatment of many diseases where stimulation of autophagy may be therapeutic including heart failure.