Pharmacological doses of some synthetic retinoids can modulate both the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and retinoid receptor pathways.

Retinoids have been demonstrated to have pharmacological application in the areas of dermatology and oncology. In addition to the natural retinoids such as all-trans-retinoic acid and 9-cis-retinoic acid, many new potential retinoid drugs have been synthesized, including retinoic acid receptor (RAR)-subtype selective agonists, retinoid X receptor (RXR)-selective agonists, RAR-selective antagonists, anti-AP1-specific retinoids and retinoids that induce apoptosis. Recent studies demonstrate that some retinoids, in addition to modulating the RAR/RXR pathway, are also capable at pharmacological concentrations of binding to aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and activating the AhR/AhR nuclear translocator pathway. Future studies are necessary to ascertain the consequences, if any, of activation of the AhR signaling pathway by pharmacological doses of specific retinoids.