Resolving Inflammation by Targeting an Ancient Innate Immune Sensor with a Bacterial Metabolite.

Bacterial, fungal, and plant metabolites are promising sources of small molecules for drug discovery. Smith et al. show that tapinarof, a bacteria-derived polyphenol, is an aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligand that attenuated inflammatory responses and shows therapeutic potential for inflammatory skin diseases. This work adds to the growing literature stemming from the renewed interest in the discovery and development of novel small molecules with anti-inflammatory activity.