Progress in discovery of RORγt inverse agonists for the treatment of autoimmune diseases

As a Th17 cell-specific transcription factor, retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt), can induce differentiation of Th17 cells and production of inflammatory factor IL-17, playing an important role in inflammation and autoimmune diseases. RORγt inverse agonists have become a research hotspot in both academia and pharmaceutical companies around the world in recent years, with great development potential. A variety of skeletal structure types have been reported, including orthosteric and allosteric inverse agonists. In this paper, the structure and functions of RORγt are introduced, and RORγt inverse agonists in clinical and preclinical studies are reviewed in order to provide reference for further research and development of RORγt inverse agonists.